BOOK 

O  F   TH  E~ 

<STE 
SUBURB 


HIGHWAYS  a^  DWAYS 
PAST  AND  PRESENT 


University  of  Illinois 
at  Urbana-Chamoaien 


at  Urbana-Champaign 

J 


MUNDELEIN 

^COLLEGE  LIBRARY^ 


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BOOK  of  the  WESTERN  SUBURBS 


Photo  by  Retn 


VIEW  ON  DES  PLAINES  RIVER 
Riverside,   111. 


BOOK  of  the  WESTERN  SUBURBS 


HOMES,  GARDENS,  LANDSCAPES 

HIGHWAYS  AND  BYWAYS 

PAST  AND  PRESENT 


By  MARIAN  A.  WHITE 
Author  and  Lecturer 


NIAGARA  PARK 
Lyons,  111. 


CHICAGO 

J.  HARRISON  WHITE 
1912 


Price  Two  Dollars 


Copyriilif.  1912,  by  1.  Hnrriion  White 


TO  THE 
PATRONS  AND  SUBSCRIBERS 

WHO  HAVE  MADE 
ITS  PRODUCTION  POSSIBLE 

THIS  BOOK 

IS  RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED  BY 
THE  PUBLISHER 


THE  FRANKLIN  Co. 

CHICAGO 


f  /7.   ^3^  fits*  9, 

W 


FOREWORD 

IN  the  preparation  of  the  present  work  the  author  has  endeavored 
to  faithfully  portray  the  evolution  of  a  portion  of  the  Grand 
Prairie  of  Illinois  into  the  delightful  suburban  sites  found  today. 
In  order  that  the  traditional  and  legendary  associations  might  be 
more  intelligently  comprehended,  it  was  thought  advisable  to  com- 
mence with  that  particular  portion  of  the  prairie  over  which  the 
Jesuit  Fathers  blazed  the  way.  From  the  letters  and  journals  of 
the  latter,  as  well  as  from  other  authoritative  sources,  have  been 
culled  facts,  vital  to  the  telling  of  the  story  of  the  yesterday  and 
today,  of  the  highways  and  byways  past  and  present  associated  with 
the  traditions  of  the  Western  Suburbs.  The  struggles  and  hardships 
overcome  by  the  pioneers,  the  undaunted  courage  of  both  men  and 
women  in  the  early  days  of  settlement,  when  "cities  were  planned  in 
their  comeliness  for  a  future  heritage,"  should  be  familiar  to  the  youth 
of  succeeding  generations.  Local  traditions  and  legends  should  be 
fostered,  for  only  by  this  method  can  we  hope  to  attain  to  that  which 
is  an  incentive  to  love  of  country  and  pride  in,  and  reverence  for  its 
institutions.  This  is  the  spirit  exemplified  by  those  whose  homes 
appear  in  the  following  pages;  they  were  approached  with  intelligence 
and  they  responded  in  like  manner.  So  the  book  of  the  "Western 
Suburbs"  is  illustrative  of  a  broad,  comprehensive  principle  on  the 
part  of  author,  publisher  and  patrons. 


6928  Sheridan  Road 
Chicago,  111. 


3845 


Page  six 


THE  WATER  WORKS 
Riverside,  III. 


Highways  and  Byways 
Past  and  Present 


THE  HISTORIC  HIGHWAY 
"RIVIERE  DU    PORTAGE" 


"In  what  way  can  the  future  be  forecast,  except  by  studying  the  past? 
And  where  shall  we  study  the  past  except  in  history? — In  all  things  historical, 
then,  the  truth  is  the  one  great  thing." 


THE  inland  waterways — from  the  Great  Lakes  to  the  less  im- 
portant stretches  of  water  and  reaches  of  swamp,  from  the 
broadly  flowing  rivers  to  the  smallest  creeks — figure  significantly 
in  the  early  discovery  and  settlement  of  the  West,  of  which  the  Prairie 
State,  the  fair  and  fruitful  Illinois,  forms  a  representative  part. 

By  following  the  waterways,  designated  by  friendly  Indians,  the 
good  Pere  Marquette  and  his  staunch  and  helpful  companion,  Joliet, 
made  their  way  from  the  Mississippi  into  the  Illinois,  from  thence  to 
the  Des  Plaines,  and,  by  way  of  the  "portage"  and  the  Chicago  River  to 
Lake  Michigan. 


Page  seven 


Page  eight 


HIGHWAYS      AND      BYWAYS  —  PAST      AND      PRESENT 

The  word  "portage"  is  frequently  met  with  in  the  journals  and  letters 
of  the  early  explorers.  It  is  derived  from  the  French  "porte,"  meaning 
"to  carry,"  and  designates  a  neck  of  land  lying  between  two  navigable 
waters,  over  which  tract,  canoes  and  effects  must  be  carried  bodily,  in 
order  to  gain  the  desired  water-transportation  beyond.  Most  of  these 
byways  had  been  trailed  by  the  Red  Man  long  before  his  white  brother 
essayed  to  push  through  the  wilderness.  But  once  being  known,  they 
became  the  familiar  highways  of  the  voyageurs  passing  to  and  fro 
between  the  valleys  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  Mississippi. 

The  frail  canoe  of  birch-bark  played  an  important  part  in  this 
method  of  transportation.  Light  of  weight,  easily  carried  over  the 
byway  of  the  portage,  and  as  readily  set  afloat  on  the  highway  of  waters 
beyond,  its  choice  became  a  necessity.  Fearless  and  staunch  of  heart 
were  those  who  elected  to  set  their  faces  westward — with  this  only 
means  of  transportation — to  bring  into  being  that  "New  France" 
which  was  ultimately  to  resolve  itself  into  a  Greater  America ! 

After  the  coming  of  Marquette  to  the  country  of  the  Illini,  the 
South  Branch  of  the  Chicago  River  and  the  Des  Plaines,  together  with 
the  intervening  portage,  assumed  importance  as  a  highway  to  the 
Illinois  River;  and  the  gentle  "Black  Robe"  who  won  the  confidence 
and  esteem  of  the  Indians,  wrote  of  the  Chicago  River,  as  the  "RivieYe 
du  Portage,"  describing  its  vicinity  as  "a  broad  waste  of  grass  and 
prairie  flowers,  channeled  by  two  lazy  streams  that  meet  in  opposite 
directions,  and  united,  flow  into,  or  rather  form  connection  with  the 
Lac  des  Illinese"  (Lake  Michigan). 

Once  again  Marquette  is  found  at  this  particular  portage,  and,  owing 
to  unfavorable  weather,  as  well  as  to  his  weakened  physical  condition, 
both  of  which  circumstances  combined  to  arrest  his  immediate  journey- 
ing to  the  village  of  the  Illini,  posterity  is  brought  into  more  intimate 
knowledge  of  the  historic  highway  and  its  general  environment. 

Arriving  at  the  mouth  of  the  Chicago  River,  it  was  with  difficulty 
they  urged  their  frail  canoes  through  the  already  congealing  waters. 
Westward  stretched  the  boundless  prairie,  now  enshrouded  in  winter's 
tender  covering,  but  of  chill  and  unfriendly  aspect  to  the  already 
storm-racked  missionary  and  his  two  faithful  engages,  Pierre  and 
Jacques — his  only  white  companions.  Under  difficulty  they  make 
their  way  along  the  "Riviere  du  Portage,"  until  they  are  a  little  less 
than  five  miles  from  the  Lake.  Here,  on  a  gentle  undulation  of  the 
north  bank,  they  discover  a  cabin.  Investigation  proved  it  to  be 
unoccupied.  How  did  it  happen  there?  This  little  shelter  in  the 
midst  of  the  desolate  prairie?  Tradition  claims  that  it  was  erected  by 
two  hunters  for  the  purpose  of  storing  furs  until  opportunity  for  their 
further  distribution  by  way  of  the  Portage.  Marquette's  heart  must 
have  lifted  in  praise  and  thankfulness,  for  rude  of  aspect  as  it  appeared, 
it  suggested  a  haven  of  comfort  where  he  might  relax  during  this  most 
painful  moment  of  his  sufferings. 

Not  a  word  of  complaint,  however,  either  against  pain  or  hardship 
has  this  martyr  to  the  cause  left  us.  We  can,  if  we  will,  however,  read 
between  the  incidents  he  records  with  such  cheery  frankness,  that  the 
gaunt  spectre  of  Famine,  and  its  grim  companion,  Death,  hovered  at 
moments  in  close  proximity.  Yet  the  faithful  Pierre  and  Jacques 


Page  nine 


Page  ten 


HIGHWAYS      AND      BYWAYS—  PAST      AND      PRESENT 

sought  to  make  him  as  comfortable  as  kindly  forethought  and  choice 
of  meagre  supplies  might  suggest. 

"Jacques,"  writes  Marquette,  "brought  in  a  partridge  that  he  had 
killed,  every  way  resembling  those  of  France,  except  that  it  had  two 
little  wings  of  three  or  four  feathers,  a  finger  in  length,  near  the  head, 
with  which  it  covers  the  two  sides  of  the  neck  where  there  are  no 
feathers."  "Resembling  those  of  France!"  Did  a  throb  of  maladie  du 
pays  affect  the  gentle  missionary,  as  he  recalled  the  distinguishing 
traits  of  the  bird  of  his  native  land — his  sunny  France?  We  shall 
never  know.  But  we  would  revere  his  memory  not  one  whit  the  less 
had  he  recorded  such  emotion. 

"Several  Illinois  Indians,"  again  writes  Marquette,  "passed  the 
cabin  with  furs  which  they  were  taking  down  to  the  Lake.  We  gave 
them  a  buffalo  and  a  deer  that  Jacques  had  killed  the  day  before.  I 
never  saw  Indians  more  greedy  for  French  tobacco  than  these,"  and 
one  can  almost  imagine  a  faint  smile  creeping  over  the  wan  features, 
as  he  records:  "They  (the  Indians)  came  and  threw  beaver  skins  at 
our  feet  to  get  a  small  piece  (French  tobacco)  but  we  returned  the 
skins,  giving  them  pipes,  for  we  had  not  yet  concluded  whether  we 
should  go  on."  Two  years  later,  the  good  Father  Allouez  passed  over 
the  "Riviere  du  Portage,"  simply  mentioning  it  as  the  "river  that  leads 
to  the  Illinois." 

With  La  Salle  came  the  Recollets — the  "Gray  Robes,"  as  the 
Indians  designated  Hennepin,  Ribourde  and  Membre,  the  first  of 
their  Order  to  travel  the  Chicago  Portage.  In  writing  of  this  highway, 
La  Salle  defines  it  as  "an  isthmus  of  land  at  forty-one  degrees  fifty 
minutes  north  latitude  at  the  west  of  the  Lac  des  Islinois  (Lake  Mich- 
igan), which  is  reached  by  a  channel  formed  by  a  junction  of  several 
rivulets  and  meadow  ditches.  It  is  navigable  about  two  leagues  to  the 
edge  of  the  prairie;  a  quarter  of  a  league  westward  there  is  a  little  lake, 
divided  by  a  causeway  about  a  league  and  a  half  long  made  by  beavers." 

Joutel,  who  with  Tonty,  must  be  accounted  one  of  La  Salle's  faith- 
ful followers,  lay  in  the  cabin  formerly  occupied  by  Marquette.  He 
was  suffering  from  an  injured  foot.  "We  had  nothing,"  he  writes, 
"but  our  meal  of  Indian  wheat  to  feed  on;  yet  we  discovered  a  kind 
of  manna,  which  was  a  great  help  to  us.  It  was  a  sort  of  tree  resembling 
a  maple,  in  which  we  made  incisions,  whence  flowed  a  sweet  liquor, 
and  in  this  we  boiled  our  Indian  wheat,  which  made  it  delicious,  sweet, 
and  of  agreeable  relish.  This  sweet  liquor  when  boiled  up  and  evaporated, 
turns  into  a  kind  of  sugar,  somewhat  brownish  but  very  good."  So, 
in  1688,  maple  syrup  and  maple  sugar  tickled  the  palate  of  the  way- 
farers on  the  banks  of  the  Chicago  Portage! 

Baron  de  Lahontan,  French  soldier  and  traveler,  was  in  this  vicinity 
in  the  same  year  and  about  the  same  time  as  Joutel  and  Tonty.  He 
writes  of  it  being  a  "very  busy  season  with  the  coureurs  du  bois,  thirty 
of  whom  are  doing  some  remarkable  trading  with  the  Indians."  This 
is  a  side-light  upon  the  early  commercial  aspects  of  the  Chicago- 
Desplaines  Portage. 

St.  Cosme,  a  Canadian  priest,  on  his  way  to  the  Mississippi,  speaks 
particularly  of  that  part  of  the  portage,  designated  "Mud  Lake." 
The  latter  was  of  swamp  origin,  but  forming  an  important  link  with 


Poge^ 

v\X    1>V 


BOOK 


O  F 


THE 


WESTERN    SUBURBS 


HOME  OF  MR.  WALTER  HELLYER 
Riverside,  111. 


the  Des  Plaines.  Quite  frequently,  the  voyageurs,  waist  deep  in 
thick,  black  mud,  would  push  their  loaded  canoes  through  this  small 
lake.  Their  bodies  were  exposed  to  the  attacks  of  "suckers"  or  leeches 
that  infested  the  marsh,  while  face  and  hands  became  the  points  of 
attack  by  mosquitoes.  Imagine  the  torment  and  suffering  of  such  a 
combination!  Yet  it  was  soon  forgotten.  The  voyageur  was  of  the 
most  buoyant  temperament,  even  while  performing  the  most  laborious 
tasks.  Laughter  and  song  accompanied  all  their  efforts. 

With  St.  Cosme  were  Montigny,  Davion  and  Tonty — the  latter 
acting  as  guide.  They  arrived  at  the  Chicago  Portage  in  October, 
1699.  "The  little  river  that  is  lost  in  the  prairies,"  writes  St.  Cosme. 
When  the  party  had  accomplished  about  half  the  distance  of  the 
Portage,  one  of  its  number  was  found  missing.  He  was  a  lad  between 
twelve  and  fourteen,  who  had  been  entrusted  to  their  keeping  by  a 
French  officer,  who,  some  eight  years  later,  figured  as  Governor  of 
Louisiana. 

As  soon  as  they  realized  the  lad  was  missing  they  retraced  their 
route.  St.  Cosme  says  "the  grass  was  very  high"  and  that  they  "dared 
not  set  it  on  fire"  for  fear  of  further  imperilling  the  boy.  So  they 
shouted  and  fired  their  guns,  hoping  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  lad 
and  induce  him  to  make  some  effort  to  respond  to  their  signals.  But 
all  to  no  purpose.  The  weather  was  growing  colder,  the  waters  already 
very  low,  and  to  longer  remain  would  involve  much  extra  hardship. 
So  it  was  decided  that  Montigny,  Tonty  and  Davion  continue  over  the 


Page  twelve 


HIGHWAYS      AND      BYWAYS  —  PAST      AND      PRESENT 


Photo  by  Bemm 


HOME  OF  MR.  JOHN  M.  CAMERON 
Riverside,  111. 


portage,  while  St.  Cosme,  with  four  men,  turn  back  in  the  direction 
already  traveled.  On  their  way  they  met  Fathers  Pinet  and  Binneteau 
with  two  engages,  on  their  way  to  the  Illinois  Indians. 

When  St.  Cosme  came  down  Lake  Michigan,  to  the  portage,  stress 
of  weather  drove  his  party  to  seek  the  shore.  He  made  his  way  inland 
to  the  "Mission  of  the  Guardian  Angel"  which  Father  Pinet  had 
established  among  the  Miami  Indians,  in  the  neighborhood  of  what 
is  now  generally  understood  to  be  the  "Skokie"  and  in  close  proximity 
to  the  site  of  the  present  Catholic  Church  in  the  village  of  Gross  Point. 
St.  Cosme  seems  to  have  returned  to  this  neighborhood  without  finding 
trace  of  the  boy.  His  letter  would  also  intimate  that  some  of  "our 
people"  were  then  established  at  "Chicagou"  or  "Chicaqw,"  as  he 
spells  it  at  one  time,  somewhat  nearer  to  the  portage  than  the  "Mission 
of  the  Guardian  Angel." 

However,  the  boy  was  not  found  by  him,  and  St.  Cosme  is  somewhat 
vague  when  he  states  that  he  was  "obliged  to  start  after  giving  Brother 
Alexander  directions  to  look  for  the  boy,  and  take  some  of  the  French 
who  were  at  Chicagou  to  look  for  him."  Whoever  the  "French"  were 
at  "Chicagou"  one  can  but  surmise.  There  may  have  been  hunters  or 
traders  sojourning  there  for  the  nonce,  and  St.  Cosme,  through  "Brother 
Alexander"  (another  mystery)  had  engaged  their  kindly  services  on 
behalf  of  the  missing  lad. 

It  is  reported,  however,  that  after  a  lapse  of  "thirteen  days,  the  boy, 
utterly  exhausted  and  out  of  his  head,"  did  find  his  way  to  the  faithful 


Page  thirteen 


BOOK    OF    THE    WESTERN    SUBURBS 


THE  BEND  OF  THE  RIVER 
Riverside,  111. 

"Brother  Alexander."  Of  a  truth,  this  episode  should  go  down  to 
posterity  as  the  first  of  the  "mysterious  disappearances"  for  which 
Chicago  is  more  or  less  noted,  as  well  as  from  the  fact  that  this  incident 
certainly  embodies  the  record  of  Chicago's  pioneer  disobedient 
youngster,  for  St.  Cosme  distinctly  states,  that  "the  boy  started  on  alone 
although  he  had  been  told  to  wait." 

The  distinguished  French  traveler  and  historian,  Charlevoix,  in 
writing  of  the  "Riviere  du  Portage,"  designates  it  "the  little  river 
Chicagou,"  and  fears  he  might  not  "find  water  enough  to  float  his 
canoe!"  For  some  long  years  after  the  coming  of  Charlevoix,  the 
Chicago  Portage  fell  into  disuse.  The  Indians  had  become  hostile 
in  their  attitude  and  this  particular  highway  was  deemed  anything 
but  safe  for  the  white  man. 

In  1871,  however,  the  Hutchins  Map  still  gives  definite  particulars 
of  the  Chicago  Portage,  showing  its  river  and  branches,  together  with 
the  two  lakelets  and  swamps  connecting  it  with  the  Des  Plaines.  A 
map  made  by  Governor  Hull,  defines  the  Chicago  Portage  as  it  existed 
a  century  ago.  The  accompanying  text  on  this  map  explains  that 
the  Portage  was  generally  understood  to  be  from  the  Chicago  River 
to  the  River  Des  Plaines;  that  the  trading  post  of  Chicago  was  six 
miles  distant  from  the  portage;  that  the  portage  itself — the  neck  of 
land  over  which  everything  had  to  be  carried — was  seven  miles;  that 
from  the  end  of  the  portage  to  the  Des  Plaines  was  three  miles,  the 
latter  being  through  Mud  Lake;  and  that  the  aggregate  distance 
between  Lake  Michigan  and  the  Des  Plaines,  by  way  of  the  river  and 
the  portages,  was  about  twelve  miles. 

Gurdon  S.  Hubbard,  in  his  "Autobiography,"  tells  of  this  highway 
as  he  saw  it  in  1818.  "The  South  Branch  was  then  known  as  the 
Lagoon,"  writes  Mr.  Hubbard,  "and  we  camped  at  a  point  near  the 


Page  fourteen 


HIGHWAYS      AND       BYWAYS  —  PAST      AND      PRESENT 

present  commencement  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal,  remaining 
there  for  one  day  in  preparation  to  passing  boats  through  Mud  Lake 
to  the  Des  Plaines.  This  lake  is  connected  with  the  South  Branch 
by  a  "narrow,  crooked  channel,  and  only  in  wet  seasons  containing 
water  enough  to  float  an  empty  boat.  The  mud  was  very  deep.  On 
the  edge  of  the  lake,  tall  grass  and  wild  rice  grew,  often  above  a  man's 
head  and  so  strong  and  dense  it  was  almost  impossible  for  a  man  to 
walk  through  it.  Empty  boats  were  pulled  up  channel  and  in  many 
places  where  there  was  no  water  and  a  hard  clay  bottom,  the  boats 
were  placed  on  short  rollers,  and  in  this  manner  pulled  along  until 
the  lake  was  reached,  where  mud  was  found  thick  and  deep,  but  only 
at  rare  intervals,  water.  Others  of  the  crew  transported  goods  on 
their  backs  to  the  river."  Thus  are  the  difficulties  and  hardships 
associated  with  the  Chicago  Portage  —  the  only  highway  then  from 
Chicago  to  the  Mississippi  —  pictured  by  one  who  passed  over  its 
tedious  ways,  six  years  after  the  Fort  Dearborn  Massacre,  and  two 
years  after  the  New  Fort  Dearborn  had  been  established ! 

A  United  States  Survey  Map,  bearing  date,  1822,  shows  this  high- 
way still  in  use.  Where  the  present  Lincoln  street  meets  the  South 
Branch,  the  designation  "Portage  House,"  implies  that  at  this  time, 
and  we  know  not  for  how  long  a  period  before  the  making  of  this  map, 
there  was  a  road-house  or  inn  for  the  accommodation  of  the  wayfarer. 
On  this  same  map,  along  the  designated  "marshes"  and  "little  lakes" 
intervening  between  the  Des  Plaines,  is  denned  "Portage  Road." 
The  "Beaver  dam"  to  which  La  Salle  makes  reference,  was,  as  one 
may  readily  conceive,  between  the  two  "little  lakes,"  shown  on  this 
map,  one  of  which  has  become  familiar  as  "Mud  Lake,"  the  most 
difficult  stretch  associated  with  the  old,  historic  highway,  the  "Portage 
du  Chicago ' '  of  the  early  explorers  and  those  who  followed  immediately 
after. 


A  PARK  AT  RIVERSIDE.  ILL. 


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Page  sixteen 


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Page  eighteen 


Page  nineteen 


Page  twenty 


THE  DBS  PLAINES 
Riverside,  III. 


THE  DES  PLAINES— "RIVIERE  DIVINE" 


"What  cordial  welcomes  greet  the  guest 
By  thy  lone  rivers  of  the  West." 

("America,"  William  Cullen  Bryant) 


THE  Des  Plaines  is  one  of  the  most  picturesque  waterways  of  the 
prairie   country.     By   the   time   it   reaches   Riverside,   it    has 
meandered  almost  eighty  miles  from  its  source  in  south-east 
Wisconsin.     Curving  into  banks  of  low-lying  meadow  lands,  neighbor- 
ing with  smaller  streams  which  help  to  swell  its  flood,  the  Des  Plaines 
attains  its  most  picturesque  development  in  the  vicinity  of  Riverside, 
where,  doubling  on  itself  among  beautifully  wooded  slopes,  like  Tenny- 
son's brook,  it  "winds  about  and  in  and  out,"  then  makes  a  "sudden 
sally  and  sparkles  out  among  the  ferns,  to  bicker  down  the  valley." 

While  its  more  northerly  portion  is  associated  with  tradition  and 
legend  of  Indian  occupation,  and  with  that  evolutionary  period  of  the 
first  white  adventurer  —  hunter  or  trader  —  into  the  real  settler  —  the 
pioneer  farmer  —  it  is  the  southwesterly  stretch  of  the  river  that 
figures  in  the  early  explorations  of  the  Illinois  country,  for,  as  we  have 
seen  in  the  previous  chapter,  it  was  a  significant  part  of  that  historic 
highway,  known  as  the  "Chicago  Portage." 

It  is  generally  conceded  that  Marquette  and  Joliet  were  the  first 
of  the  white  race  to  travel  the  Des  Plaines.  They  were  guided  to  its 
waters  bv  the  friendly  Indians,  after  that  strenuous  four  months  of 


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WESTERN 


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Photo  by  Be: 


HOME  OF  MR.  ROBERT  LEICESTER  JORDAN 
Scottswood  Road,  Riverside,  111. 


exploration  in  birch  bark  canoes.  Joliet  was  somewhat  of  a  poet, 
since  he  found  in  the  stream  and  its  environment  that  which  suggested 
the  beautiful  name.  Was  he  enraptured  by  its  peaceful,  meandrous, 
yet  purposeful  flow  toward  the  more  important  stream,  which,  with 
patriotic  fervor  he  had  named  in  honor  of  his  king —  "St.  Louis"  - 
now  known  as  the  Illinois?  Or,  did  the  glorious  hues  of  the  prairie, 
and  the  reeds  and  rushes  in  Autumn  garb  appeal  to  the  poetic  nature, 
and  frame  the  stream  with  such  pronounced  picturesqueness  as  to 
bring  forth,  from  the  darkly-bearded  lips,  the  exclamation  "Riviere 
Divine!"  However,  "Riviere  Divine,"  it  became,  until  "Aux  Plaines," 
or  "Des  Plaines,"  both  of  which  appropriately  signify  "of  the  plains," 
became  its  more  familiar  designation. 

Reference  has  been  made  to  Marquette's  winter  sojourn  in  a  cabin, 
on  the  north  bank  of  the  South  Branch  of  the  Chicago  river.  Here, 
toward  the  end  of  March,  1675,  after  a  season  of  great  severity,  the  ice 
floes  formed  a  barrier  across  the  stream.  The  thaw  continuing,  the 
"dam,"  as  Marquette  writes,  "broke,"  and  there  was  barely  time  to 
escape  the  onward  rush  of  the  waters.  After  a  night  of  suspense, 
Marquette  says :  "We  resolved  to  embark  on  our  journey."  Following 
his  description,  one  may  conclude  that  the  flood  afforded  a  continuous 
waterway  to  the  Des  Plaines,  as  they  made  but  "one  short  portage." 
Continuing  down  the  river,  they  hailed  with  appreciation  a  bit  of 
elevated  country,  where,  without  fear  of  being  engulfed  by  the  vagrant 


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HIGHWAYS      AND      BYWAYS  —  PAST       AND       PRESENT 

waters,  they  might  rest  until  the  opportune  moment  for  proceeding 
down  the  "Riviere  Divine,"  to  the  Illinois. 

La  Salle's  men,  under  Tonty,  passed  down  the  eastern  shores  and 
crossed  the  southern  extremity  of  Lake  Michigan  to  the  Chicago 
Portage.  Pushing  their  way  to  the  Des  Plaines,  and  making  a  day's 
journey  down  the  latter,  they  awaited  the  coming  of  their  commander. 
It  was  late  December,  1681,  the  weather  severe  and  the  waters  freezing 
solid.  The  resourceful  Tonty,  while  waiting  for  La  Salle,  who  arrived 
on  January  6,  constructed  rude  sleighs  by  which  the  party  and  its 
effects  might  be  more  easily  transported  to  the  Illinois.  Father  Membre 
was  a  member  of  this  party  and  the  good  priest  left  a  record  of  this 
journey.  Whoever  travelled  the  Chicago  Portage  in  these  early  days, 
also  made  this  forty  miles  down  the  Des  Plaines,  for  it  was  part  of  the 
connecting  link  between  Lake  Michigan  and  the  Mississippi. 

The  best  pen  picture  of  the  Des  Plaines-Portage  route  to  Chicago, 
is  given  by  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft.  Mr.  Schoolcraft  was  an  ethnologist, 
as  well  as  an  explorer,  and  he  was  one  of  the  most  intelligent  of  Indian 
Commissioners.  It  was  while  serving  in  this  capacity  in  the  district 
of  the  Lakes,  that  Mr.  Schoolcraft  in  1822  made  an  expedition  to 
Chicago,  which  he  graphically  describes : 

"On  crossing  the  Des  Plaines,  we  found  the  opposite  shore  thronged 
with  Indians,  whose  loud  and  obtrusive  salutations  caused  us  to  make 
a  few  minutes  halt.  From  this  point  of  view  we  scarcely  ever  were 
out  of  sight  of  straggling  parties,  all  proceeding  to  the  same  place. 
Most  commonly  they  were  mounted  on  horses,  and  apparelled  in  their 
best  manner  of  riding,  created  a  scene  as  novel  as  it  was  interesting. 
Proceeding  from  all  parts  of  a  very  extensive  circle  of  country,  like 
rays  converging  to  a  focus,  the  nearer  we  approached  the  more 
compact  and  concentrated  the  body  became,  and  we  found  our  caval- 
cade rapidly  augmented,  and  consequently  the  dust,  confusion  and 
noise  increased  at  every  bypath  which  intersected  our  way.  After 
crossing  the  south  fork  of  the  Chicago,  and  emerging  from  the  forests 
that  skirt  it,  nearly  the  whole  number  of  those  who  had  preceded  us 
appeared  along  the  shores  of  the  Lake,  while  the  refreshing  and  noble 
appearance  of  the  Lake  itself  with  'vast  and  sullen  swell'  appeared 
beyond." 

Joliet,  La  Salle,  and  others  with  prophetic  vision,  realized  the  pos- 
sibility of  what  has  been  later  suggested,  a  "Lakes  to  Gulf  Waterway," 
by  an  artificial  channel  in  the  region  of  the  Portage.  "  It  will  be  easy," 
writes  a  distinguished  German,  travelling  through  this  section  in  1819, 
"to  unite  the  Illinois  with  Lake  Michigan.  By  means  of  this  canal, 
inland  navigation  would  be  opened  from  New  York  to  New  Orleans, 
a  distance  of  3,000  English  miles." 


Marquette's  Signature 


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YESTERDAY  AND  TODAY 

"A  song  to  the  brain  that  devises, 

And  bends  Nature's  will  into  law; 
A  song  to  the  brain  that  suffices 
Its  purpose  from  many  to  draw" 

Horace  Spencer  Fiske. 

FOR  nearly  a  century,  the  Chicago-Des  Plaines-Portage  basked 
under  the  protection  of  the  Fleur  de  Lys,  its  solitudes  responding 
to  the  language  of  a  country  beyond  the  sea,  or  to  the  patois  of 
a  "New  France."  Over  its  intricacies  were  borne  the  impatient  mur- 
murings  of  the  Indian  now  grown  suspicious  of  the  white  intruder  in 
the  conflicting  interests  of  two  great  powers.  Indifferent  to  its  future, 
for  another  twenty  years,  it  slumbered  under  the  ensign  of  St.  George. 
Warring  tribes  continued  to  pass  over  its  tedious  ways,  but  seldom,  if 
ever,  came  the  pale  face. 

On  one  glorious  day  in  September,  1783,  when  the  willows  as  aggres- 
sive of  aspect  as  the  Indian  himself,  were  tenaciously  clinging  to  their 
bits  of  faded  finery,  and  when  the  sugar  maples  were  arrayed  in  a 
splendor  befitting  the  occasion,  the  tall,  slender  reeds  bordering  the 
marshes,  inspired  by  the  winds  that  swept  the  broad  expanse  of  prairie, 
in  musical,  rhythmic  sounds,  piped  of  "freedom'  and  of  a  "starry 
banner."  But  many,  many  moons  were  to  wax  and  wane,  and  many 
years,  each  fraught  with  more  or  less  of  strife  and  conflict  and  much 
bloodshed,  were  to  intervene,  while  the  Indian  still  held  monopoly  of 
the  Portage. 

Then  the  first  "winged-canoe"  found  its  way  to  Chicago.  Old 
Fort  Dearborn  came  into  existence  and  perished.  The  second  Fort 
Dearborn  was  established  in  the  midst  of  a  small  colony  of  traders  and 
soldiers.  The  Portage  again  became  a  highway  for  the  pale  face.  In 
1816  the  Indians  were  induced  to  part  with  another  slice  of  their  heritage 
for  canal  purposes.  They  believed  it  was  to  be  of  "great  advantage 
to  them."  But  ere  the  formal  beginnings  of  the  project,  made  July  4, 
1836,  by  the  turning  of  the  first  sod  of  the  prairie,  the  Indian  had  been 
forced  to  vacate  the  territory  and  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal 
became  the  "today"  of  the  Portage. 

The  "partridge"  of  whose  peculiarities  Marquette  wrote,  is  the 
"prairie  chicken"  of  today.  Its  specific  name  of  "cupido"  being 
assigned  by  the  naturalists,  from  the  two  "little  wings  on  the  side  of 
its  neck"  being  likened  to  those  of  the  god  of  Love.  The  vicinity  of 
Marquette's  "winter  cabin"  is  designated  today  by  a  large  mahogany 
cross  bearing  the  inscription  of  "Marquette  and  Joliet."  It  is  at  the 
foot  of  Robey  Street  and  the  South  Branch,  in  an  environment  of 
lumber  yards  and  other  important  commercial  enterprises.  It  should 
be  the  centre  of  a  small,  well-tended  public  park  and  the  author  hopes 
this  site  will  ultimately  become  such. 

The  rising  ground  on  which  Marquette  took  refuge  from  the  floods, 
is  now  marked  by  a  pile  of  boulders  and  a  suitable  inscription  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  village  of  Summit,  this  being  the  highest  elevation 
between  the  two  watersheds  —  one  draining  toward  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence,  the  other  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 


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A  MODEL  KINDERGARTEN  SCHOOL 
Brookfield,  111. 


THE  GRAND   PRAIRIE- 
ITS  YESTERDAY  AND  TODAY 


'The  unshorn  fields,  boundless  and  beautiful, 
For  which  the  speech  of  England  has  no  name, 
The  Prairies. "  —  Wm.  Cullen  Bryant. 


THE  Indian  did  not  bestow  on  the  reaches  of  billowy  landscape 
over  which  he  loved  to  roam,  the  poetic  title  of  prairie.     It  was 
the  French  explorers,  the  missionaries  and  voyageurs  who  per- 
petuated these  sweeping  distances  in  the  title  of  Prairie.     The  word 
signifies  meadow,  yet,  a  meadow  unlike  anything  they  had  ever  before 
seen,  but  it  was  the  only  word  in  their  language  that  seemed  applicable 
to  these  grass-grown  plains.     And  are  we  not  grateful  for  the  euphon- 
ious title? 

"The  prairie  is  the  sea  of  the  land,"  writes  Wm.  A.  Quayle,  and 
he  is  the  only  American  who  has  made  a  poetic  study  in  prose  of  their 
ever  varying  beauty.  "Prairie  and  sea  plant  no  hedgerows  than  the 
sky,  both  billow  out  into  the  universe,"  and  we  who  have  known  both 
sea  and  prairie  recognize  the  sentiment  involved  in  this  latter  quota- 
tion from  the  same  author.  Through  these  imposing  meadow-lands 


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HIGHWAYS      AND       BYWAYS  —  PAST      AND       PRESENT 


THE  BOYS'  PARADISE 
Brookfield.  III. 


wandered  many  a  vagrant  stream,  its  banks  denned  by  low-lying  shrub 
and  reed  growth,  by  grove  or  forest;  but  in  whichever  direction  it 
meandered,  each  stream  ultimately  affiliated  with  more  direct  and 
important  waters,  and  together  sought  the  sea. 

Illinois  has  been  designated  the  "Prairie  State"  and  not  without 
reason.  "The  finest  country  we  have  seen  is  from  Chicagou  to  the 
Tamarois,"  writes  De  la  Source  in  the  early  part  of  1700.  "  It  is  nothing 
but  prairies  and  clumps  of  wood  as  far  as  you  can  see,"  he  adds  with 
an  enthusiasm  savoring  of  a  later  period.  Germany  became  familiar 
with  the  aspect  of  the  prairies  in  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury. A  distinguished  traveler  and  writer  of  that  nationality  journeyed 
on  horseback  over  these  wonderful  tracts  of  country  in  Illinois.  "No 
more  inviting  thing  can  be  imagined  by  a  stranger,  than  to  settle  here 
and  live  more  in  accordance  with  nature,"  writes  Hcrr  Ernst,  "for  the 
plow  once  into  these  grassy  plains,  which  are,  for  the  most  part  level, 
fields  would  be  splendid  with  the  richest  fruits  and  the  most  abundant 
harvests.  I  do  not  believe  any  one  State  in  America  is  so  highly 
favored  by  nature  in  every  respect,  as  the  State  of  Illinois."  His 
words  were  prophetic. 

On  July  10,  1832,  the  steamboat,  "Sheldon  Thompson, "  on  which 
General  Scott  had  embarked  at  Buffalo,  arrived  at  Chicago.  Captain 
Walker  has  left  to  posterity  a  graphic  description  of  the  prairie  as  it 
appeared  to  him.  "There  was  no  harbor  accessible  to  any  craft  draw- 
ing more  than  two  feet  of  water,"  he  says.  "But  little  else  was  seen 
besides  the  broad  expanse  of  prairie,  with  its  gentle  undulated  surface, 
covered  with  grass  and  variegated  flowers,  stretching  out  far  in  the 
distance,  resembling  a  great  carpet,  interwoven  with  green,  purple  and 
gold ;  in  one  direction  bounded  by  the  blue  horizon  with  no  intervening 
woodland  to  obstruct  the  vision.  The  view,  in  looking  through  the 
spyglass  from  the  upper  deck  of  our  steamer,  while  lying  in  the  offing, 
was  a  most  picturesque  one,  presenting  a  landscape  interspersed  with 


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HIGHWAYS      AND       BYWAYS  — PAST      AND       PRESENT 


r 


>  by  Snyder 


HOME  OF  MR.  F.  C.  SCHULTZ 
1  Du  Bois  Blvd.,  Congress  Park,  111. 


small  groves  of  underwood,  making  a  picture  complete;  combining 
the  grand  and  beautiful  in  nature,  far  beyond  anything  I  had  before 
seen." 

Chicago  and  its  Western  Suburbs  are  particularly  involved  in  the 
evolution  of  this  portion  of  the  country,  designated  the  Grand  Prairie  of 
Illinois,  which  reaching  back  many  hundred  miles  to  the  interior, 
only  bordered  Lake  Michigan  itself,  in  the  form  of  weird  sandhills  for 
nearly  four  miles  south  of  the  mouth  of  the  Chicago  river.  This  por- 
tion of  the  Grand  Prairie,  embracing  the  Old  Portage  route,  the  North 
Branch,  the  Des  Plaines,  the  Du  Page  and  other  streams,  is  rife  with 
tradition,  for  the  yesterday  has  burgeoned  into  the  fairest  today. 
Over  this  particular  portion  of  the  Grand  Prairie,  explorer  and  mis- 
sionary urged  their  way.  The  chansons  of  the  voyageurs  vied  with  the 
clear,  plaintive  strain  of  the  meadow-lark  and  other  warblers  of  the 
prairie.  Later  came  hunter  and  trader,  and  they,  like  those  preceding 
them,  followed  over  the  trails  familiar  to  the  Indian,  for  red  men's 
roads  evince  considerable  ingenuity  in  avoiding  obstacles  while  follow- 
ing the  most  direct  route  in  a  given  direction. 

The  early  settlers  utilized  these  same  byways  which  crossed  and 
criss-crossed  the  prairie  in  all  directions,  and  which  lay,  as  Randall 
Parrish  aptly  says,  "like  great  uncoiled  snakes  .  .  .  yet  ever 
pointing  directly,  and  by  the  most  feasible  route,  toward  the  selected 
destination,  however  far  away."  Many  of  these  trails  became  recog- 
nized mail  and  stage  routes  as  well  as  general  highways,  the  railroads 


Page  thirty-five 


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BUNGALOW  OF  MR.  C.  H.  BRINTON 
Brookfield.  III. 


Photo  by  Snyder 


HOME  OF  MR.  CONRAD  SCHNEIDER 

(His  own  design) 
Raymond  Ave.,  Congress  Park,  111. 


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HOME  OP  MR.  EMIL  E.  PICK 
Brookfield,  III. 


HOME  OF  MR.  E.  B.  GRAHAM 
Brookfield,  111. 


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HOME  OF  MR.  JAS.  W.  BELL 
Congress  Park,  III. 


frequently  following  over,  severing  in  two,  or  paralleling  them.  Even 
before  the  Indian  had  been  entirely  banished  from  the  vicinity  of  the 
Grand  Prairie,  adventurous  settlers  sought  to  establish  claims,  and, 
turning  over  the  sod  —  for  this  is  all  that  was  necessary  —  sowed  and 
planted  and  harvested  with  the  very  best  results. 

The  banks  of  the  streams  to  the  Indian,  as  well  as  to  his  white 
brother,  seemed  to  be  the  most  desirable  of  all  the  fullness  and  rich- 
ness the  Grand  Prairie  had  to  offer.  Consequently,  on  the  banks  of 
the  forks  of  the  Chicago  river,  on  the  Des  Plaines,  on  both  forks  of  the 
Du  Page,  as  well  as  upon  its  main  branch,  and  along  the  winding, 
beautifully  wooded  portions  of  Salt  Creek,  came  the  settlers,  either 
singly  or  in  colonies,  but  all  bent  on  the  one  object,  the  making  of 
homes  in  this  land  of  great  possibilities. 

Chicago,  then  but  little  more  than  a  trading  post,  underwent  a 
boom  from  the  influx  of  strangers  that  came  in  hooded  ox-carts,  or  by 
way  of  the  lake,  with  their  lares  and  penates,  on  their  way  to  make 
a  home  in  the  wilderness,  or  upon  the  broad  bosom  of  the  prairie. 
That  was  but  yesterday.  Today,  charming  villages  and  hamlets  greet 
the  eye.  The  Indian  tepee,  the  hunter's  cabin,  the  pioneer  log  home 
quickly  gave  way  to  dwellings  of  more  substantial  aspect.  Yesterday, 
the  pioneer  carried  his  grain  and  other  farm  products  to  the  market 
beyond  over  planked  roads.  Today,  his  descendants  have  their 
country  homes  remote  from  the  city,  which  they  reach  by  means  of 


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HIGHWAYS      AND       BYWAYS  —  PAST      AND      PRESENT 


Photo  by  Snyder 


HOME  OF  MR.  GEORGE  A.  LENDRUM 
Congress  Park,  111. 


an  automobile  over  tolerably  good  highways  —  and  the  time  is  not 
far  distant  when  all  highways  will  be  made  and  kept  in  excellent  order 
under  organized  supervision.  Today,  the  suburbanite  may  dwell  amid 
picturesque  and  healthful  environment,  enjoy  educational  and  social 
advantages,  remote  from  the  turmoil  of  the  city,  yet  closely  affiliated 
with  its  interests,  by  means  of  electricity  and  steam. 

While  the  author  of  this  work  has  been  journeying  back  and  forth 
over  the  route  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  and  Quincy  Railroad,  between 
Chicago  and  Naperville,  visiting  and  tarrying  in  the  suburban  towns 
between  these  points,  the  "air-ships"  were  visible  in  their  trials  of  skill 
and  endurance.  Recall  the  progress  that  has  been  made  within  the 
past  fifty  years  and  the  possibilities  of  the  air-ship  seem  almost  assured. 
The  railroad  was  opposed.  But  see  how  beautifully  it  has  linked 
together  these  charming  home-towns.  Take  a  peep  at  and  into  the 
home-stations,  and  think  of  the  time,  only  a  short  yesterday,  when 
any  little  old  box  of  a  shelter  was  designated  a  railway  station! 
Then  congratulate  yourself  on  the  fine  entrance  the  railroad  has  given 
to  your  home-town.  It  is  the  intention  of  the  writer  to  now  introduce 
the  reader  to  the  past  and  the  present  of  a  few  of  these  delightful 
suburbs  which  domicile  considerable  of  the  brain  and  brawn  involved 
in  the  past  and  present  interests  of  Chicago. 


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.<S 


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THE  LIBRARY 
Home  of  Mrs.  Louise  Griesbach,  La  Grange,  111. 


Photo  by  Snyder 


THE  DRAWING  ROOM 
Home  of  Mrs.  Louise  Griesbach.  La  Grange,  111, 


fifty-six 


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THE  LIBRARY,  LOOKING  INTO  DINING  ROOM 
Home  of  Mrs.  Louise  Griesbach,  La  Grange,  111. 


A  CORNER  IN  THE  DRAWING  ROOM 
Home  of  Mrs.  Louise  Griesbach.  La  Grange,  III. 


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HOME  OF  MR.  HOMER  J.  BUCKLEY 
240  South  Eighth  Ave.,  La  Grange.  III. 


Photo  by  Snyder 


HOME  OF  MR.  ROBERT  C.  FLETCHER 
224  South  Stone  Ave..  La  Grange.  111. 


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HOME  OF  MR.  SIDNEY  S.  GORHAM 
436  South  Stone  Ave.,  La  Grange,  111. 


Photo  t>y  Snyder 


HOME  OP  MR.  E.  J.  ROGERSON 
344  South  Stone  Ave..  La  Grange.  III. 


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HOME  OF  MR.  MASON  H.  SHERMAN 
121  Eighth  Ave.,  La  Grange,  111. 


HOME  OP  MR.  ALBERT  A.  HENRY 
136  South  Fifth  Ave.,  La  Grange,  111. 


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HOME  OF  MR.  LEONARD  H.  VAUGHAN 

Western  Springs,  III. 


HOME  OF  MR.  ALFRED  E.  PETERS 
Western  Springs,  111. 


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HOME  OP  MR.  GEO.  W.  MORGAN 
Grand  Ave.,  Western  Springs,  111. 


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HOME  OP  MR.  ROBERT  L.  WOODCOCK 

80  South  Washington  St.,  Hinsdale,  111. 


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HOME  OF  MR.  OLIVER  J.  BUSHNELL 
Hinsdale.  111. 


HOME  OF  MR.  R.  O.  SCHMIDT 
179  First  St.,  Hinsdale.  111. 


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HOME  OF  MR.  GEORGE  M.  FISHER 
64  First  St.,  Hinsdale,  111. 


HOME  OF  MR.  W.  H.  KNIGHT 
127  Park  Ave.,  Hinsdale.  111. 


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Traditions  of  the  Western  Suburbs 


RIVERSIDE 

"We  quarrel  of  land  and  line; 

We  bicker  of  work  and  wage; 
We  trouble  our  souls  with  a  doleful  sign. 

Forgetting  our  heritage; 
Forgetting  the  tireless  hands; 

Forgetting  the  restless  feet 
That  fared  undaunted  through  unknown  lands 

Till  the  path  was  made  complete." 

A  BOUT  four  miles  from  Fort  Dearborn  and  on  the  west  bank  of 
/"\  the  south  fork  of  the  Chicago  river,  in  the  year  1826,  were  found 
five  or  six  log  cabins.  This  community  was  distinguished  by 
the  title  of  " Hardscrabble."  Whether  the  latter  indicated  the  "scrab- 
ble" for  existence  on  the  part  of  its  members,  or  its  problem  of  approach 
to  the  wayfarer,  the  author  is  not  prepared  to  state.  There  remains 
a  record,  however,  as  to  its  "dreary  expanse  of  prairie  with  occasional 
patches  of  timber."  In  one  of  these  log  structures,  lived  two  brothers, 
David  and  Bernardus  Laughton,  who  in  1827,  moved  to  the  Des 
Plaines. 

The  Laughtons  (also  mis-spelled  Lawton)  were  Indian  traders  and 
with  an  intuition  of  the  advantages  to  be  derived  by  establishing  them- 
selves westward  of  "Hardscrabble,"  they  resolved  to  remain  in  this 
more  picturesque  and  sheltered  environment.  On  the  site  of  the 
present  Riverside,  and  in  immediate  proximity  to  the  spring,  which 
tradition  designates  as  "Bourbon,"  these  brothers  erected  a  preten- 
tious dwelling  of  logs,  which  was  to  serve  the  purpose  of  a  tavern, 
or  road-house,  or  inn  as  our  English  cousins  would  say. 

For  years  this  tavern  was  a  favorite  resort  of  the  wayfarer  to  and 
from  Chicago.  Bernardus  or  "Barney"  Laughton  —  as  he  was  more 
familiarly  designated  —  in  1830,  married  Miss  Sophia  Bates  of  Ver- 
mont. Miss  Bates  was  the  sister  of  Mrs.  Stephen  Forbes,  Chicago's 
first  regular  school  teacher. 

To  the  banks  of  the  picturesque  Des  Plaines,  Bernardus  Laughton 
took  his  wife.  She  was  not  altogether  contented.  The  Indians  were 
not  yet  out  of  the  territory,  and  neighbors  were  few,  and  miles  apart, 
while  women  were  the  exception  rather  than  the  rule  among  those  who 
essayed  to  partake  of  the  hospitality  of  the  Laughton  tavern. 

"It  was  almost  dark  when  we  reached  the  Lawtons,"  writes  Juliette 
A.  Kinzie,  in  her  valuable  "Wau-Bun."  "The  Aux  Plaines  was  frozen 
and  the  house  was  on  the  other  side.  By  loud  shouting  we  brought 
out  a  man  from  the  building  and  he  succeeded  in  cutting  the  ice  and 


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BOOK    OF    THE    WESTERN    SUBURBS 

bringing  a  canoe  over  to  us;  but  not  until  it  had  become  difficult  to 
distinguish  objects  in  the  darkness.  A  very  comfortable  house  was 
Lawton's  after  we  did  reach  it  —  carpeted  and  with  a  warm  stove  — 
in  fact,  quite  in  civilized  style.  Mr.  Weeks,  the  man  who  brought 
us  across,  was  the  major-domo,  during  the  temporary  absence  of  Mr. 
Lawton.  Mrs.  Lawton  was  a  young  woman  and  not  ill-looking.  She 
complained  bitterly  of  the  loneliness  of  her  condition,  and  having 
been  brought  out  there  in  the  woods;  which  was  a  thing  she  did  not 
expect  when  she  came  from  the  East.  We  did  not  ask  her  with  what 
expectations  she  had  come  to  a  wild  unsettled  country,  but  we  tried 
to  comfort  her  with  the  assurance  that  things  would  grow  better  in 
a  few  years.  She  said  she  did  not  intend  to  wait  for  that,  she  should 
go  back  to  her  family  in  the  East  if  Mr.  Lawton  did  not  invite  her 
young  friends  to  come  and  stay  with  her  and  make  it  agreeable." 

In  the  Autumn  of  this  same  year  (1831),  Stephen  Forbes  and  his 
wife  (Mrs.  Laughton's  sister)  went  to  live  in  this  vicinity.  Mr.  Forbes 
built  a  pretentious  log  dwelling  which  must  have  been  somewhere  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  present  Wesencraft  homestead.  Later,  Mr. 
Forbes,  who  had  also  taught  school  in  Chicago,  became  the  pioneer 
appointee  to  the  office  of  Sheriff  of  Cook  County. 

By  again  referring  to  "Wau-Bun,"  a  picture  of  the  country  between 
Laughton's  place  and  Chicago  is  obtained.  "We  could  hardly  realize," 
writes  Mrs.  Kinzie,  "on  rising  the  following  morning  that  only  twelve 
miles  of  prairie  intervened  between  us  and  Chicago  le  Desire  as  I  could 
but  name  it.  We  could  look  across  the  extended  plain,  and  on  its 
farthest  edge  were  visible  two  tall  trees,  which  my  husband  pointed' 
out  to  me  as  the  planting  of  his  own  hand  when  a  boy.  Already  they 
had  become  so  lofty  as  to  serve  as  landmarks  and  they  were  constantly 
in  view  as  we  traveled  the  beaten  road." 

Tradition  tells  of  a  ford  in  this  vicinity,  near  the  present  iron  bridge 
just  below  the  dam.  This  was  part  of  an  old  trail  which  the  Indian 
followed  in  crossing  the  Des  Plaines,  and  which  continued  its  course 
across  the  prairie  to  Chicago.  The  early  settlers  also  utilized  this  ford 
in  taking  their  cattle  to  water.  The  "  Indian  Garden,"  really  an  Indian 
burying  ground,  from  which  many  spear-heads,  arrow-heads  and  other 
relics  have  been  obtained,  was  a  beauty  spot  where  wild  flowers  bloomed 
in  lavish  profusion,  and  which  gave  to  the  early  days  of  Riverside  a 
fame  among  botanists. 

The  first  substantial  frame  house  of  pretentious  aspect  was  built  by 
William  Wesencraft,  who  came  with  his  family  in  the  early  fifties. 
His  widow  and  daughter  still  occupy  this  home.  Modern  conditions 
have  served  to  somewhat  change  its  interior  aspect,  otherwise,  save  for 
renewed  coats  of  paint  from  time  to  time,  and  the  early  addition  of 
a  conservatory,  the  exterior  remains  practically  the  same  as  when  the 
house  was  erected  in  its  beautiful  grove  of  elm,  maple,  black  walnut 
and  oak.  Mr.  Wesencraft  and  his  wife  being  descended  from  old 
English  families  who  designated  their  estates  by  distinguishing  titles, 
naturally  bestowed  upon  his  acreage  and  home,  a  name  suitable  to  its 
environment.  The  estate  extended  to  the  Des  Plaines,  its  western 
portion  having  a  broad  curving  sweep  to  the  water,  so,  at  a  family 
gathering  and  in  the  presence  of  friends  from  Chicago,  the  homestead 
was  designated  "Riverside." 


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HIGHWAYS      AND      BYWAYS  —  PAST      AND      PRESENT 


"RIVERSIDE" 

Home  of  Mrs.  Jane  Churchill  Wesencraft 
Pine  Ave.,  Riverside.  111. 


Mrs.  Jane  Churchill  Wesencraft  is  now  in  her  eighty-ninth  year, 
and  apart  from  occasional  attacks  of  rheumatism,  is  still  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  health.  The  author  found  her  very  entertaining,  as  her 
memory  is  alive  with  reminiscences  of  a  past  associated  with  this  par- 
ticular locality.  She  speaks  with  enthusiasm  of  the  "wonderful  old 
trees"  —some  of  them  yet  in  close  proximity  to  the  home — •  which 
abounded  in  the  neighborhood,  while  her  daughter  cherishes  pleasant 
memories  of  a  girlhood  into  which  enter  scampering  pony  rides  over 
the  many  trails,  which  even  then,  intersected  this  vicinity.  Then 
there  are  recollections  of  several  small  log  cabins,  which  hither  and 
yon  dotted  the  landscape  and  bore  evidence  of  former  occupancy  by 
hunter  or  trader.  Neither  mother  nor  daughter,  however,  recall 
"Laughton's  Tavern,"  so  it  must  have  ceased  to  exist  before  their 
time. 

Among  the  many  beautiful  trees,  on  and  adjacent  to  the  Wesen- 
craft homestead,  two  are  most  tenderly  cherished.  They  are  elms  of 
stately  growth  and  magnificent  proportions,  spreading  and  affording 
friendly  and  grateful  shade  to  the  home  which  sprang  into  existence 
while  they  were  yet  old  denizens  of  the  forest.  Mrs.  Wesencraft  and 
her  daughter  cherish  the  right  kind  of  sentiment  toward  their  preser- 
vation, so  these  two  magnificent  specimens  of  the  original  tree  growth 
of  a  century  or  more  before  the  coming  of  the  pale  face  to  this  region, 


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BOOK    OF    THE    WESTERN    SUBURBS 

tower  erect  and  lordly  with  beneficent  purpose  radiating  from  their 
friendly,  wide-spreading  branches. 

As  Mrs.  Jane  Churchill  Wesencraft  sat  by  the  cheery  grate  fire,  her 
hands  resting  lightly  on  her  lap,  there  was  a  striking  resemblance  to 
a  world-famous  painting.  The  same  patient  attitude,  the  same  sugges- 
tion to  dignity,  the  same  fine  features  upon  which  Time  alone  has  left 
its  furrows,  and  the  same  arrangement  of  smooth,  grey  hair.  The 
white  lace  cap  was  all  that  was  missing  from  this  living  suggestion  to 
"My  Mother,"  by  Whistler. 

In  1864  David  Gage  purchased  twelve  hundred  acres,  embracing 
much  of  that  which  is  now  the  business  and  earlier  residence  portion 
of  the  town.  Mr.  Gage  had  become  impressed  with  the  title  adopted 
by  the  Wesencraft  family,  and  called  his  acres,  "Riverside  Farm." 
At  this  particular  time,  he  owned  and  conducted  a  hotel  in  the  young 
city  of  Chicago,  and  he  purchased  this  site  for  a  farm,  with  the  inten- 
tion of  raising  products  with  which  to  satisfy  the  gastronomic  require- 
ments of  his  patrons.  Four  years  later,  a  body  of  enterprising  indi- 
viduals, with  Emery  E.  Childs  as  the  moving  spirit,  conceived  the 
notion  of  founding  a  model  suburban  town  near  Chicago. 

The  lovely  Des  Plaines  region  made  its  appeal,  and,  after  negotia- 
tions by  which  Mr.  Gage  conveyed  to  Mr.  Childs,  his  acres,  the  "River- 
side Improvement  Company"  with  a  capital  of  one  million  dollars, 
came  into  being.  The  landscape  architects,  Olmstead  and  Vaux,  were 
engaged  to  design  a  plat  of  the  site.  Frederick  Law  Olmstead,  who 
died  in  1903,  became  enthusiastic  over  its  possibilities,  and,  using  the 
winding  river  as  a  motif,  he  resolved  the  whole  plat  into  a  series  of  ovals 
and  curves.  The  Riverside  of  today  —  for  the  original  title  was 
retained  —  is  a  memorial  to  the  artistic  skill  and  ingenuity  of  Mr. 
Olmstead,  as  well  as  to  the  enterprise  of  the  company,  which  made 
considerable  financial  sacrifice  in  allowing  seven  hundred  acres  of  the 
sixteen  hundred  acquired,  to  represent  roads,  borders,  walks,  and 
parks  and  commons. 

Artesian  wells  afforded  a  plentiful  and  pure  water  supply,  and 
ample  provision  was  made  for  the  sanitary  disposal  of  sewage.  So  the 
new  suburb  was  launched  amid  much  enthusiasm  and  considerable 
promise.  But  the  disasters  that  affected  Chicago  • —  panic  and  fire  — 
also  weighed  heavily  upon  this  enterprise,  and  Riverside  had  to  abide 
its  season. 

Today  it  is  alive  to  its  possibilities.  Schools,  churches,  social 
organizations;  golf,  boating,  canoeing,  and  other  out  door  sports,  pre- 
vail. The  banks  of  its  river  having  been  strictly  preserved  as  parks, 
are  today,  a  dream  of  woodland  beauty.  The  kings  of  the  original 
forest  now  neighbor  with  a  rich  second  growth. 

Riverside  is  particularly  a  town  of  country  homes.  This  fact  is 
emphasized  by  the  railroad's  architectural  entrance,  its  station  being 
in  close  proximity  to  the  quaint,  ivy-covered  water  tower,  which  forms 
the  centre  of  a  park-like  circle,  rich  with  blooms  in  season,  while  its 
highways  and  byways  vanish  into  curving  vistas  of  green,  environing 
many  beautiful  homes. 

Artists  have  been  attracted  by  the  Des  Plaines  in  the  region  of 
Riverside,  for  its  sylvan  beauty  is  an  inspiration  to  the  brush.  The 
late  David  F.  Bigelow,  who  will  go  down  to  posterity  as  the  tender 


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HIGHWAYS      AND      BYWAYS  —  PAST      AND      PRESENT 

delineator  of  the  Adirondack  region,  will  also  be  remembered  for  his 
scenes  on  the  Des  Plaines,  as  well  as  from  the  fact,  that  for  many 
seasons  he  conducted  sketching  classes  here.  Mrs.  Annie  C.  Dyren- 
forth  is  the  pioneer  piano  teacher,  she  having  taught  music  in  this 
suburb  for  the  past  forty  years. 

=*==*=     **=     *«=     =*= 

Across  the  Des  Plaines  from  Riverside,  is  the  quaint  town  of  Lyons, 
bearing  unmistakeable  evidence  of  a  traditional  past.  Years  before 
Riverside  was  platted,  Lyons  had  its  schoolhouse  and  church  of  logs, 
and  a  community  of  homes.  The  latter  were  invariably  built  of  logs  to 
be  again  superseded  by  those  of  frame.  Later,  came  Frederick  Schultz 
to  the  neighborhood,  bringing  thirty  men  to  work  a  quarry  and  lime- 
kilns. Mr.  Schultz  is  still  living  in  a  pretentious  homestead  of  brick 
in  this  vicinity.  He  is  hale  and  hearty,  jovial  and  kindly,  and  delights 
in  telling  of  the  many  vicissitudes  through  which  Lyons  has  passed 
since  he  came  to  the  town.  Through  the  enterprise  of  one  of  Chicago's 
business  men,  the  river  in  this  region  is  always  broad  and  deep,  for  a 
fine  dam  has  been  constructed  by  Mr.  George  Hofmann,  an  electric 
tower  built  in  a  park  designated  "Niagara,"  and  the  banks  of  the 
river  for  some  distance,  improved  by  cement  copings.  All  of  these 
additions  have  materially  added  to  the  well-kempt  appearance  as 
viewed  from  the  Riverside  bank. 

There  are  unlimited  possibilities  in  the  development  of  Lyons, 
should  the  right  kind  of  syndicate  lay  hold  and  remodel  the  quaint 
little  town  around  which  legend  and  tradition  has  interwoven  more  or 
less  of  interest.  Today,  it  lies  smiling  in  its  picturesqueness,  reminding 
one  of  a  willful  child  determined  to  have  its  own  way,  and  "gang  its 
ain  gait"  in  spite  of  friendly  protest.  Its  moment  of  opportunity  will 
come;  then  Lyons  will  take  upon  itself  such  responsibilities  as  will 
mark  an  era  of  grace  and  beauty  in  suburban  development. 


A  PASTORAL  SCENE  ON  SALT  CREEK 


Page  eighty-seven 


Page  eighty-eight 


Photo  by  Mrs.  C.  L.  I)e  Marr.is 


SALT  CREEK 
Brookfield,  111. 


HOLLYWOOD,  BROOKFIELD,  CONGRESS  PARK 

INTERVENING  between  Riverside  and  La  Grange,  on  the  Chi- 
cago, Burlington  and  Quincy  railroad,  are  three  delightfully  modern 
suburbs,  bearing  evidence  of  man's  ingenuity  in  converting  the 
prairie  land  into  sites,  either  of  which  forms  a  perfect  picture  of  artistic 
design.     These  suburbs  were  originally  platted  by  S.  E.  Gross  and 
were  then  known  as  East  Grossdale,  Grossdale  and  West  Grossdale. 
Now  Hollywood,  Brookfield  and  Congress  Park,  as  they  are  recognized 
today,  are  incorporated  into  one  village  organization  with  its  governing 
powers  at  Brookfield. 

"Brookfield!"  What  does  it  suggest?  A  field  or  a  bit  of  prairie 
bordering  a  stream.  Through  this  particular  bit  of  prairie,  winding 
about  and  curving  into  the  soft  alluvial  soil,  now  hastening  onward, 
and  again  leisurely  pursuing  its  way,  journeys  Salt  Creek.  A  preju- 
dice existed  among  would-be  settlers  for  some  time  after  it  was  chris- 
tened "Salt."  Naturally,  they  imagined  its  waters  must  be  of  a  saline 
nature.  Perhaps  this  is  the  secret  of  the  very  modern  aspect  of  the 
three  suburbs.  Settlers  passed  it  by,  not  caring  for  brackish  waters! 
Its  legend  of  a  farmer's  wagon,  on  which  was  a  load  of  salt,  becoming 
stranded  in  an  attempt  to  ford  it,  and  having  to  throw  the  salt  into 
the  brook  in  order  to  extricate  the  vehicle,  accounts  for  its  designation. 


Page  eighty-nine 


BOOK    OP    THE    WESTERN    SUBURBS 


THE  WOODED  BANKS  OF  SALT  CREEK 
Brookfield,  111. 


The  stream  seems  to  have  had  no  distinguishing  title  until  then,  when 
"Salt  Creek"  was  bestowed  upon  it  more  in  jest  than  in  earnest. 
But  the  name  clung  to  it,  and  Brookfield  itself  has  overcome  its 
prejudice. 

At  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  a  clear,  flowing  stream,  very  brook- 
like  in  its  mode  of  progress  toward  the  Des  Plaines,  of  which  it  is  no 
small  affluent,  is  Salt  Creek.  In  places  its  banks  are  quite  high  and 
beautifully  wooded.  In  other  places  it  rambles  through  meadow  lands 
rich  with  the  harvest,  but  always  suggesting  purposeful  action. 

Whoever  conceived  the  plan  of  building  a  kindergarten  in  its  vicinity, 
planned  better  than  he  knew.  The  building  itself,  extremely  artistic 
of  design,  cuddles  to  the  landscape  in  an  environment  of  lawn  and 
flowers,  sheltered  and  shaded  by  a  superb  tree  growth. 

Mr.  William  Drummond,  an  architect  whose  name  should  go  down 
to  posterity  in  the  design  of  this  beautiful  structure,  evidently  held 
the  child  thought  well  in  mind.  For  the  building  crouches  as  a  mother 
to  her  darling,  which  is  just  beginning  to  gain  confidence  in  the  first 
steps;  while  the  eaves  spread  like  the  protecting  wings  of  Heaven 
itself,  inviting  the  confidence  of  the  youngster  approaching.  Once 
inside  its  doors,  he  is  in  an  environment  of  that  which  is  refined,  artistic, 
and  disciplinary.  Trained  in  such  an  atmosphere  of  health  and  beauty 
what  may  we  expect  of  the  child's  future  ? 

In  this  suburb,  a  distinctive  style  of  architecture  is  being  fostered. 
Mr.  Conrad  Schneider  is  the  pioneer  builder  of  the  unique  and  sub- 
stantial homes  of  boulders,  charming  structures  that  catch  the  lights 
and  shadows,  and,  consequently,  never  present  quite  the  same  picture 
when  viewed  in  the  varying  aspects  between  dawn  and  sunset.  The 
highways  of  Brookfield  radiate  from  the  railroad  station,  being  broad, 
well-paved  streets,  shaded  with  trees. 


Page  ninety 


HIGHWAYS      AND      BYWAYS  —  PAST      AND      PRESENT 

Brookfield's  growth,  even  in  these  days  of  steam  and  electricity, 
is  a  marvel.  On  April  7  of  the  present  year  (1912),  the  Brookfield 
State  Bank  opened  with  deposits  of  $7,375.82  and  resources  amounting 
to  $32,376.02.  By  September  5,  the  deposits  had  increased  to  $76,- 
005.00,  and  the  resources  to  $101,152.29,  a  remarkable  showing  for  so 
short  a  period  and  in  a  suburban  vicinity.  The  officers  of  this  institu- 
tion which  has  added  much  to  the  financial  status  of  the  community, 
are  John  F.  Hein,  president;  Wilson  W.  Lampert,  vice-president; 
Arthur  H.  Hein,  cashier,  with  the  following  board  of  directors :  Ralph 
Van  Vechten,  James  R.  Chapman,  Charles  Bossert,  Ernest  B.  Gra- 
ham, E.  T.  Konsberg,  Wilson  W.  Lampert,  Konrad  Ricker,  F.  C. 
Schultz,  H.  H.  Seekamp,  Byron  C.  Thorpe  and  John  F.  Hein. 


Photo  by  Snyder 


I 


LA  GRANGE  COUNTRY  CLUB 
La  Grange,  111. 


Page  ninety-one 


Designed  by  Conrad  Schneider 

THE  BOULDERS 
Home  of  Mr.  E.  D.  Floyd,  712  Bell  Ave.,  La  Grange,  111. 


LA  GRANGE 

IN  1837,  the  same  year  that  Chicago  was  incorporated  as  a  city  and 
Martin  Van  Buren  became  eighth  president  of  the  United  States, 

there  came  to  Chicago  from  New  York  State,  a  youth  of  seventeen 
years.  No  one  entered  Chicago,  at  that  period,  with  the  notion  of 
remaining  idle.  Everybody  worked,  taking  the  first  thing  that  offered 
no  matter  whether  it  was  of  brain  or  of  brawn,  or  of  both  combined. 
Everybody  hailing  from  the  East  was  dubbed  a  "Yankee,"  and  this 
term  became  synonymous  with  work,  energy  and  thrift.  Our  lad  of 
seventeen  immediately  qualified  for  work,  laborious  but  remunerative. 
In  less  than  eight  years  after  his  arrival  in  Chicago,  the  youth,  now  in 
sturdy  young  manhood,  became  the  proprietor  of  440  acres,  distant 
about  fifteen  miles  from  Chicago;  and  in  the  heart  of  the  prairie  coun- 
try. Robert  Leitch  became  a  pioneer  settler  and  built  him  a  house  of 
logs. 

By  farming  and  stock  raising,  by  hard  work  and  thrift  he  acquired 
a  competence.  His  name  appears  among  the  first  voters  of  Lyons 
township  in  1850.  The  town-site  fever  laid  its  fascination  upon  Robert 
Leitch,  and  in  later  years,  he  devised  the  platting  of  the  same,  under 


Page  ninety-two 


HIGHWAYS      AND       BYWAYS  —  PAST      AND       PRESENT 


Photo  by  Snyder 


LILAC  LODGE 

Home  of  Mr.  Chalderec  L.  De  Marras 
537  North  Stone  Ave.,  La  Grange.  111. 


the  title  of  "Kensington  Heights."  But  reverses  came  and  selling  out 
his  interests  to  Mrs.  Breed,  Mr.  Leitch  moved  with  his  family  to  Chi- 
cago, in  which  city  he  had  a  distillery.  In  1872  his  plant  was  destroyed 
by  fire,  and  he  then  became  associated  with  the  "Garden  City  Dis- 
tillery." 

In  the  meantime,  railroads  were  urging  their  way  out  over  the 
prairie  and  the  C.  B.  &  Q.  had  its  station  "West  Lyons"  on  or  near 
Mr.  Leitch's  former  proposed  town  site.  The  War  of  the  Rebellion 
had  been  fought  and  among  the  many  southerners  who  suffered  from 
its  devastating  effects,  was  Franklin  D.  Cossitt,  who  had  been  engaged 
in  business  in  Chicago  for  some  years.  In  1871,  Mr.  Cossitt  platted 
the  sub-division,  naming  it  La  Grange  after  his  former  home  in  Ten- 
nessee, which  latter,  is  said  to  have  been  so  named  after  General  Lafay- 
ette's ancestral  home  in  the  romantic  and  picturesque  part  of  France, 
known  as  Auvergne.  But  the  heart  of  La  Grange,  Illinois,  pulsates 
over  the  site  of  the  pioneer  log  cabin  of  Robert  Leitch. 

In  1881,  Mr.  Leitch  returned  to  La  Grange,  occupying  a  portion 
of  his  original  tract  and  building  a  frame  house  there.  In  his  time  he 
had  served  for  eight  years  as  Road  Commissioner,  and  as  a  member  of 
the  School  Board,  and  died  last  Autumn  at  the  ripe  age  of  ninety-two. 
His  descendants,  a  sister,  a  daughter  and  two  granddaughters  occupy 
the  home,  which  to  some  extent  has  been  modernized  to  meet  the 
requirements  of  the  family. 


Page  ninety-three 


BOOK 


O     F 


THE 


WESTERN 


SUBURBS 


Photo  by  Bemm 


HOME  OF  MR.  MONROE  FULKERSON 
630  North  Ashland  Ave.,  La  Grange,  111. 

Miss  Rebecca  Leitch,  the  sister  of  the  pioneer,  is  now  in  her  eighty- 
ninth  year,  and  recalls  the  old  plank  highway  by  which  the  settlers 
went  to  and  from  Chicago.  It  left  the  Bull's  Head  tavern,  Madison 
Street  —  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  Washingtonian  Home  —  and 
passed  through  Lyons  to  Brush  Hill,  a  distance  of  some  sixteen  or 
seventeen  miles.  In  spite  of  her  years,  Miss  Leitch  is  hale  and  hearty. 
She  admitted  to  having  had  some  prejudice  toward  the  automobile, 
but  she  now  thoroughly  enjoys  accompanying  her  niece  and  two  grand- 
nieces,  one  of  the  latter,  Miss  Olive,  being  the  chauffeuress,  on  "quite 
a  jaunt,"  and  that,  too,  without  "feeling  nervous."  Asked  her  opinion 
regarding  "flying-ships"  which  she  has  seen  hovering  above  La  Grange, 
Miss  Leitch  thinks  they  will  never  be  "favored"  as  modes  of  travel. 
"No  stations  and  no  regular  track  can  be  possible  up  in  the  air  where 
the  winds  have  it  all  their  own  way,"  she  affirms  quite  positively. 

Soon  after  Mr.  Cossitt  sub-divided  the  tract,  he  planted  trees  with 
a  generous  spirit,  with  the  result,  that  the  La  Grange  of  the  present 
bears  the  impression  of  having  been  carved  from  a  forest  rather  than 
builded  on  a  prairie.  Finely  graded  and  exquisitely  paved  highways, 
thread  the  village  —  for  it  was  incorporated  as  such  in  1879.  Des- 
cendants of  Mr.  Cossitt  still  continue  to  reside  in  La  Grange,  taking 
part  in  its  commercial  and  social  activities. 

Charming  homes,  environed  by  lawns  and  gardens,  suggest  liber- 
ality in  the  platting.  The  educational  and  social  advantages  are 
unexcelled.  Here  is  located  the  Lyons  Township  High  School,  which 
is  said  to  rank  highest  in  Cook  County,  while  the  citizens  of  La  Grange 
point  with  pride  to  the  fact,  that,  from  their  educational  institutions, 


Page  ninety-four 


HIGHWAYS      AND      BYWAYS  —  PAST      AND       PRESENT 


« 


THE  HOME  OF  MISS  REBECCA  LEITCH 
Ogden  Ave.,  La  Grange,  111. 

teachers  for  promotion  to  more  important  positions  have  gone  forth 
with  honor  to  their  profession.  There  are  two  Catholic  educational 
institutions  here,  the  St.  Joseph  Institute  for  boys  and  the  Nazareth 
Academy  for  girls.  The  Masonic  Orphan  Home  is  also  located  here 
in  a  handsome  structure. 

The  water  supply  is  of  the  purest  and  there  is  a  super-abundant 
supply,  while  the  town  has  just  expended  $125,000.00  for  one  of  the 
most  up-to-date  methods  for  the  disposal  of  sewage.  According  to 
the  report  of  the  State  Board  of  Health,  La  Grange  has  the  lowest 
mortality  of  any  place  in  the  State. 

Thornton  Villa,  a  strictly  ethical  institution,  has  won  fame  by  being 
placed  in  such  a  health-giving  environment.  For  here,  nervous  pa- 
tients, find  a  home  amid  an  environment  of  rest  and  cheer,  together 
with  all  the  modern  equipment  of  an  up-to-date  sanitarium,  while  to 
those  facing  the  twilight  shadows  and  walking  toward  the  silent  shore, 
Thornton  Villa  presents  the  essentials  of  quietude  and  repose. 

Ten  religious  sects  are  here  represented  by  as  many  handsome 
church  homes.  There  are  two  banks,  La  Grange  State  Bank  being 
the  first  established  institution  of  its  kind  in  the  village.  It  now 
occupies  the  first  floor  of  the  handsome  and  dignified  fireproof  struc- 
ture, erected  by  the  La  Grange  State  Safety  Vault  Company.  Its 
officers  are  L.  C.  Bassford,  president;  H.  B.  Kilgour,  vice-president; 
C.  W.  Northrup,  vice-president  and  cashier;  W.  N.  Froom,  assistant 
cashier,  with  the  following  gentlemen,  who,  together  with  the  officers, 
constitute  the  board  of  directors:  Frederick  T.  Boles,  J.  A.  Brydon, 
C.  L.  Iverson,  A.  H.  Kemman,  F.  D.  Cossitt,  Geo.  M.  Vial,  C.  L. 
Sackett,  F.  C.  Mandel. 


Page  ninety-five 


WATER  TOWER 
Western  Springs,  111. 

WESTERN  SPRINGS 

IN  1871  and  just  previous  to  Chicago's  "Great  Fire,"  the  "Western 
Springs  Association,"  with  Thomas  C.  Hill  as  its  moving  spirit, 

came  into  existence  as  the  sub-divider  of  the  north-western  corner  of 
Lyons  township.  By  1873,  Mr.  Hill  had  become  its  pioneer  post- 
master. A  stream,  known  as  Flag  Creek,  originates  in  this  vicinity, 
where  the  earth  is  in  the  habit  of  throwing  up  mounds,  from  the  apex 
of  which  water  pours  forth  in  such  plenty,  as  to  render  Flag  Creek 
a  very  pretentious  stream  as  it  takes  its  way  in  zig-zag  fashion  along 
the  western  portion  of  the  township,  finally  entering  the  Des  Plaines 
about  two  miles  south  of  Willow  Springs.  But  these  eccentricities  of 
the  waters  supplying  Flag  Creek,  aided  in  originating  the  Suburb's 
designation  "Western  Springs." 

In  the  architecture  of  its  homes,  schools,  churches  and  club  house 
Western  Springs  is  very  modern  of  aspect.  Its  highways  are  well  paved, 
and  between  the  tall  trees  whose  branches  afford  a  welcome  shade,  are 
seen  charming  homes  within  a  setting  of  lawn  and  shrub  and  flowers. 
The  water  supply  is  pure  and  plentiful;  the  disposal  of  sewage  well 
provided  for.  Its  water  tower  is  a  marked  architectural  feature  as  one 
enters  the  suburb  from  the  railroad,  and,  during  the  season,  Vaughan's 
nurseries,  which  are  here  located,  and  which  are  an  important  factor 
in  Chicago's  floral  and  seed  market,  bloom  forth  in  radiant  welcome. 


Page  ninety-six 


HIXSDALE  CLUB  HOUSE 
Hinsdale,  III. 

HINSDALE 

THE  charming  village  of  Hinsdale  marks  the  entrance  from  the 
east  to  Du  Page  county  —  a  section  teeming  with  historical 
interest.  To  this  vicinity,  with  no  definite  boundary  lines,  and 
with  the  Indians  still  in  possession,  came  the  adventurous  settler. 
Here,  in  what  is  now  Du  Page  county,  they  were  planting  and  home- 
building  even  before  Chicago  was  platted,  knowing  that  the  Govern- 
ment would  soon  dispose  of  the  Red  man's  interests. 

As  Riverside's  early  associations  with  Lyons,  so  Hinsdale's  tradi- 
tions would  not  be  complete  without  its  historical  connection  with 
Brush  Hill,  now  known  as  Fullersburg.  At  the  time  of  the  Black 
Hawk  trouble,  General  Winfield  Scott  and  his  command,  marched  from 
Fort  Dearborn,  westward.  Their  first  camping  ground  was  "Bourbon 
Springs,"  now  Riverside,  and  in  close  proximity  to  Laughton's  tavern. 

Pursuing  the  trail  westward,  for  there  was  no  other  highway, 
although  the  country  itself  was  somewhat  familiar  by  chart  —  the 
Indian  Boundary  having  been  established  here  since  1816  —  General 
Scott  and  his  command  covered  portions  of  the  prairie  upon  which, 
today,  are  found  neatly  paved  highways  and  byways  intersecting  the 
charming  villages  previously  described. 

Approaching  the  more  undulating  portion  of  the  prairie,  just  as  we 
of  today,  with  admiration  for  its  gentle,  billowy  uplands  intersected 
by  grove  and  woodland,  a  distant  elevation  crowned  with  a  heavy 
growth  of  scrub  oak  is  observed.  Reaching  its  summit,  the  command 


Page  ninety-seven 


BOOK    OF    THE    WESTERN    SUBURBS 


THE  OLD  MILL  ON  SALT  CREEK 
Fullersburg,  111. 


here  halted  for  rest,  and  the  soldiers  designated  it  "Brush  Hill,"  for 
it  was  rich  in  brush  and  it  was  the  highest  point  thus  far  on  their  march 
from  Fort  Dearborn. 

Among  the  early  settlers  of  Brush  Hill  (1833)  was  Benjamin  Fuller. 
The  old  tavern  in  which  he  lived  still  remains.  Here,  Loie  Fuller  was 
born.  And  here,  to  the  rhythmic  melody  of  her  father's  fiddle,  she 
first  became  imbued  with  that  love  of  the  art  of  Terpsichore  which 
has  made  her  name  world-famous.  It  was  Benjamin  Fuller,  who,  in 
1851,  incorporated  Brush  Hill  as  a  village  with  its  present  title  of  Ful- 
lersburg. This  hamlet  is  one  of  the  delightful  reminders  of  the  days 
that  were;  days  associated  with  primitive  highways,  with  toll  gates, 
wayside  inns,  a  village  smithy  always  busy,  a  quaint  church  to  which 
the  itinerant  preacher  traveled  on  horseback,  while  the  click-clack  of 
the  mill,  turned  by  water  power,  was  a  welcome  to  the  farmer.  And 
all  this  while  Chicago  was  a  mere  village ! 

Today,  the  once  busy  hamlet  is  in  somnolescent  mood.  It  lost  its 
opportunity  with  the  contemplated  railroad.  On  the  banks  of  its 
picturesque  stream  may  be  found  its  only  sign  of  activity.  The  old 
mill  of  brick  is  still  there;  its  walls  reduced  to  artistic  shadings  by  the 
mellowing  touches  of  Time.  Hearken  to  its  merry  roundelay  of  modern 
accomplishment  by  means  of  steam !  There  are  pretty,  modest  homes 
nearby,  and  the  roads  are  adapted  to  the  auto-tourist.  He  rushes 
through  this  "Sleepy  Hollow"  and  over  the  more  modern  bridge  by 
the  mill,  all  unconscious  of  the  traditional  ground  vibrating  beneath. 
For  in  the  early  pioneer  days,  the  slow-going  oxteam  blazed  a  byway; 
the  steady  old  farm  horse,  whose  master's  poll-tax  must  be  met  by 
grading  a  section  of  road,  struggled  with  primitive  implements  over 
the  very  highway  which  we  now  pass  with  case  and  comfort  and  at  a 
speed  which  should  be  deemed  reckless. 

By  1851,  Chicago  had  completed  fifty  miles  of  plank  roads  over  the 
prairie.  The  southwest  highway  reached  to  Brush  Hill,  afterward  to 
Naperville.  Over  this  road  from  Chicago,  and  in  the  same  year  that  the 


Page  ninety-eight 


HIGHWAYS      AND       BYWAYS  —  PAST 


Photo  by  Remm 


LILY   POOL.   HINSDALE.   ILL. 


city  had  completed  its  "great  waterworks  system,"  rode  a  Vermont 
farmer.  He  happened  on  Fullcrsburg  —  for  Brush  Hill  was  now 
recognized  under  this  newer  name.  Alfred  Walker  saw,  and  realized 
the  farming  and  stock  raising  possibilities  of  the  neighborhood.  He 
bought  out  the  Fuller  interests,  and,  four  years  later  built  a  pretentious 
farm  house,  which  in  time  found  itself  within  the  corporate  limits  of 
the  Hinsdalc  then  unborn. 

In  1862  — when  tradition  assures  us  that  "wolves  were  still  in  the 
timber"  -William  Robbins,  a  native  of  New  York  State,  who  had, 
in  his  young  manhood,  come  to  the  more  promising  Prairie  State,  later 
going  to  California  where  he  engaged  in  mining  and  in  banking  business, 
returned  to  Illinois  and  purchased  a  goodly  slice  of  its  billowing  and 
fair  undulations,  with  here  and  there  a  nest  of  timber,  and  all  within 
seventeen  miles  of  Chicago  with  a  railroad  already  urging  its  way 
through  to  the  west. 

The  following  year,  Mr.  Robbins  had  planned  and  built  a  home, 
and  in  1864,  he  and  his  family  were  domiciled  on  the  uplands  of  the 
prairie.  Then,  in  a  spirit  of  enterprise,  he  built  homes  for  those  desirous 
of  renting  until  such  times  as  they  could  decide  on  permanent  settle- 
ment. And  in  the  year  of  our  "National  Peace  Thanksgiving,"  Mr. 
Robbins  had  platted  Hinsdalc!  Later  he  built  a  noble  schoolhouse  of 
stone.  His  pioneer  homestead,  modernized,  is  still  in  the  suburb  of 
which  he  has  rightly  been  titled  the  "Father."  His  daughter,  Mrs. 
W.  H.  Knight,  with  her  husband,  occupies  one  of  Hinsdale's  most 
charming  homes. 

Legends  as  to  the  origin  of  its  name  have  been  many.  The  story 
with  the  majority  on  its  side,  because  of  its  reliable  source,  assures  us 
that  it  was  named  for  H.  W.  Hinsdalc,  who,  when  the  C.  B.  &  Q.  rail- 


Page  ninety-nine 


BOOK 


O  F 


THE 


WESTERN 


SUBURBS 


road  was  in  the  course  of  building,  assisted  in  financing  the  contractors. 
In  recognition  of  these  favors,  Mr.  Hinsdale  was  informed  that  a  sta- 
tion had  been  named  after  him. 

Today,  how  fair  is  Hinsdale !  Its  promoters,  for  others  came  after 
Mr.  Robbins,  showed  decided  artistic  taste  in  planning  its  beautiful 
highways  which  have  been  allowed  to  retain,  as  far  as  practicable,  the 
natural  undulations  of  this  most  beautiful  portion  of  the  Grand  Prairie. 
The  curving  avenues,  arched  by  trees  of  noble  growth,  between  which  are 
vistas  of  extensive  lawns  and  soul-inspiring  gardens,  impress  one  with 
the  unity  of  purpose  portrayed  —  brotherly  love  and  kindliness,  and 
a  consideration  of  neighborly  rights. 

Schools,  handsome  churches,  a  club  house  and  public  library  add 
much  to  Hinsdale's  attraction  as  a  home  town.  Recently,  and  before 
he  died,  Dr.  D.  K.  Pearsons,  a  long  time  resident  of  the  village,  gave 
his  beautiful  homestead  and  extensive  grounds  to  the  village  for  a 
combined  library  and  art  institute.  Judging  from  Hinsdale's  past,  her 
citizens  will  surely  make  the  best  of  so  liberal  a  gift,  by  at  once, 
taking  measures  to  carry  out  the  wish  of  its  thoughtful  patron. 

The  Village  League,  of  which  Mr.  Geo.  L.  McCurdy  is  president, 
is  an  active  body  of  village  officers  and  citizens,  delighting  in  the  work, 
not  only  of  beautifying,  but  of  obtaining  the  best  sanitary  conditions. 
Therefore  Hinsdale,  impresses  one  with  a  quiet  charm;  with  a  dignity 
of  purpose,  with  an  atmosphere  of  hospitality,  such  as  one  only  assoc- 
iates with  places  of  older  growth. 


''Nor  has  the  world  a  better  thing, 

Though  one  should  search  it  round, 
Than  thus  to  live  one's  whole  sole  king, 
Upon  one's  whole  soul  ground." 


SALT  CREEK  AT  WESTERN  SPRINGS,  ILL. 


Page  one  hundred 


NEW  C.  B.  &  Q.  STATION",  DOWNERS  GROVE,  ILL. 


DOWNERS  GROVE 

WHILE  Pierce  Downer,  in  1832,  was  traveling  westward  from 
Chicago,  over  a  sea  of  unexplored  prairie,  a  steam  packet -ship 
was  crossing  the  ocean  from  Havre  to  New  York.    Among  her 
passengers  was  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse,  evolving  his  theory  of  the  magnetic 
telegraph — the  magic  power  which  in  a  few  short  years  was  to  link 
the  prairie  to  the  sea.     But  Pierce  Downer  pursued  his  way,  hardly 
knowing  in  which  port  of  entry  to  anchor.    He  had  followed  the  primi- 
tive trail  for  many  a  weary  mile  in  his  hunt  for  the  timber.    Presently 
it  hove  in  view.    How  inviting  it  was  amid  this  sea  of  waving  grasses ! 
And  Downer  diverged  from  the  trail  to  investigate. 

Pierce  Downer  is  described  as  a  "man  of  sound  body,  of  energetic 
mind,  bred  in  the  ironclad  integrity  of  his  age,  tenacious  of  his  rights 
and  able  to  defend  them."  This  is  why  he  was  not  at  all  nonplussed 
when  he  found  himself  in  the  presence  of  a  band  of  Pottawatomies 
under  their  chief  "Waubansie."  They  exhibited  friendliness  toward 
the  lone  stranger  and  Pierce  Downer  staked  his  claim.  Here  he  re- 
mained one  year  in  solitude,  in  the  log  home  which  he  had  builded  for 
his  family  who  was  to  follow  him  from  New  York  State.  On  the 
arrival  of  the  family  the  following  year,  his  son  Stephen  staked  a  claim 
on  the  east  of  the  same  beautiful  grove  of  timber  which  appeared  as 
an  island  in  a  vast  sea  of  prairie.  Later  came  two  other  settlers,  locating 
on  the  southeast  portion  of  the  grove,  each  claimant  selecting  his 
proper  proportion  of  timber  and  prairie. 

A  rather  amusing  incident,  which  might  have  had  a  fatal  termina- 
tion, is  left  to  posterity  regarding  the  settlement  of  a  country,  pre- 
ceding government  surveys  and  in  which  covetously-disposed  individuals 


Page  hundred  one 


HOME  OF  MR.  W.  J.  HERRING 

193  East  Maple  Ave.,  Downers  Grove,  111. 


LIVING  ROOM 
Home  of  Mr.  W.  J.  Herring,  Downers  Grove,  111. 


Page  hundred  two 


HIGHWAYS      AND      BYWAYS  —  PAST      AND       PRESENT 

come  for  the  purpose  of  opportunity  to  "jump  a  claim."  Returning 
from  Chicago,  where  he  had  gone  to  obtain  necessary  supplies,  Mr. 
Downer  found  two  men  busily  intent  upon  erecting  a  cabin  on  a  portion 
of  his  claim.  Arming  himself  with  a  stout  hickory  stick  cut  from  a 
nearby  tree,  he  used  it  with  telling  effect,  until,  overcome  by  exhaustion, 
he  was  borne  to  the  ground  by  the  two  claim-jumpers  whom  he  had  so 
fiercely  attacked.  They  allowed  Mr.  Downer  to  regain  his  feet,  and  then 
sped  away,  while  Mr.  Downer  hastened  to  his  cabin  in  the  opposite 
direction. 

Israel  P.  Blodgett  bought  land  in  this  vicinity,  and  in  1835  moved 
here  with  his  family,  from  his  pioneer  farm  near  the  forks  of  the  Du 
Page.  Tradition  points  to  the  fact  that  one  of  Mr.  Downer's  beaten' 
"claim-jumpers"  purchased  this  farm  from  Mr.  Blodgett,  feeling  that 
Downer's  would  no  longer  be  a  comfortable  place  for  him.  In  August 
of  the  year  above  mentioned,  Samuel  Curtis,  of  Vermont,  bought 
a  portion  of  Mr.  Blodgett's  land.  Downers  Grove  was  off  the  original 
trail  from  Naperville  to  Chicago,  and  in  the  early  days,  desirable  trade 
was  lost  on  this  account.  Mr.  Blodgett  and  Mr.  Curtis  solved  the 
problem,  by  blazing  a  good,  broad  highway,  some  two  miles  in  length, 
that  should  intercept  the  original  trail  at  either  end.  This  was  accom- 
plished under  difficulties  and  with  primitive  implements.  Six  yoke 
of  oxen  were  hitched  to  the  trunk  of  a  felled  tree  of  goodly  proportions ; 
when,  by  dragging  this  clumsy  burden  back  and  forth,  the  prairie 
turf  was  gradually  ground  down  into  a  well-beaten  track !  Then  these 
enterprising  pioneers  defined  each  side  of  the  highway,  by  rows  of  hard 
maples,  which  they  obtained  from  the  neighboring  grove. 

Yesterday,  the  twelve  patient  oxen  toiling  under  difficulties  to 
create  a  highway!  Today,  Maple  avenue,  for  this  is  the  designation 
of  this  particular  road,  is  one  of  many  brick-paved  highways  traversing 
this  suburb.  Its  maples  rear  their  pillars  upward  until  the  branches, 
extending  from  either  side,  meet  in  fan-like  contour,  reminding  one  of 
the  stately  columns  and  vaulted  arches  of  some  cathedral  aisle.  Surely 
no  better  monument  is  needed  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  Israel  P. 
Blodgett  and  Samuel  Curtis  than  this  beautiful  highway,  over  which 
the  autoists  now  speed  without  dreaming  they  enjoy  all  by  the  "grace 
of  the  men  of  old." 

Mr.  Blodgett,  whose  homestead  is  now  occupied  by  one  of  his 
descendants,  and  which  faces  this  highway,  was  a  blacksmith  as  well 
as  a  farmer.  He  kept  mostly  to  his  trade,  and  hired  workers  for  the 
farm  and  stock  range.  Mr.  Blodgett  is  credited  with  making  the  first 
plow  which  would  work  the  prairie  soil  and  scour  and  brighten  itself 
during  the  process.  Up  to  this  period,  all  plows  were  made  with 
a  wooden  mold  board  and  the  plowman  had  to  carry  a  paddle  or 
scraper,  with  which  to  scrape  off  the  dirt  that  adhered  to  the 
mold  board  and  share.  But  Israel  P.  Blodgett  never  patented  his 
improvement  and,  later,  other  plow-makers  reaped  the  reward  of 
his  invention. 

The  site  of  the  village  of  Downers  Grove  was  a  favorite  haunt  of 
the  Indian.  Beside  the  band  to  which  allusion  has  already  been  made, 
another  of  equal  prominence,  was  that  of  which  Aptakisic  or  Half 
Day,  was  chief.  This  band  had  been  in  the  habit  of  frequenting  the 
grove,  which  had  become  the  property  of  Mr.  Blodgett,  for  the  pur- 


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HIGHWAYS      AND      BYWAYS  —  PAST      AND      PRESENT 


HOME  OF  MR.  J.  D.  GILLESPIE 
Downers  Grove,  111. 


pose  of  making  maple  sugar.  When  the  settlers  took  possession  of 
the  territory,  it  was  a  great  hardship  to  the  Indian.  But  old  Half 
Day  accepted  the  inevitable  and  became  a  loyal  ally  of  the  settlers. 

Downers  Grove  township  was  incorporated  in  1850,  and  the  village 
bearing  the  same  name,  in  1854.  Both  perpetuate  the  name  of  its 
brave  pioneer  settler.  For  it  took  courage  of  no  mean  kind  to  stake 
a  claim  in  the  midst  of  roving  bands  of  Indians,  and  it  required  a  fine 
spirit  of  forbearance  to  live  in  among  them ;  but  Pierce  Downer  seems 
to  have  been  equal  to  the  undertaking,  so  his  name  is  preserved  to 
posterity. 

When  Lincoln's  first  call  came  for  volunteers,  Walter  Blanchard, 
who  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Downers  Grove,  responded  by 
organizing  a  company  in  Du  Page  county.  This  became  known  as 
Company  K  of  the  famous  Thirteenth  Regiment  of  Illinois  Volunteers, 
which  answered  to  the  first  call  for  three  years'  service  men.  This 
regiment  was  in  some  of  the  hottest  battles  of  the  Civil  War.  At 
Ringgold  Gap  Captain  Blanchard  received  an  injury  necessitating 
the  amputation  of  one  of  his  legs,  but  he  died  after  the  shock.  His 
last  words  on  the  field  of  battle  and  at  the  moment  that  the  ball  had 
shattered  his  leg  are  as  momentous  as  any  uttered  by  battle-stricken 
heroes  of  no  matter  what  nation  and  are  here  recorded  to  the  honor 
of  Downers  Grove's  military  hero,  who  was  then  fifty-five  years  of  age : 
"Don't  give  up  boys!  Fire  away!" 


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Photo  liy  Itenini 


HOME   OF  MR.  J.  K.  SEBREE 
Belmont,  111. 


VIEW  OF  GROUNDS  AND  SWIMMING  POOL 
From  porch  of  home  of  Mr.  J.  K.  Sebree,  Belmont,  111. 


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HIGHWAYS      A   N   D      BYWAYS  —  PAS  T      A   X   D       V   R  E  S  E   N  T 


DOWNERS  GROVE 
From  the  heights  at  Belmont 


Religious  and  secular  educational  uplift  early  developed  in  this 
community.  The  itinerant  preacher — and  how  self-sacrificing  were 
these  earnest  men — soon  gave  place  to  the  regularly  appointed  minister 
in  a  well-established  edifice — which,  today,  represents  nine  religious 
sects  in  as  many  places  of  worship.  The  log  school  house,  or  homes 
used  for  school  purposes  in  earlier  days,  gave  place  to  the  pioneer 
"district  school"  in  1838.  The  latter  was  the  forerunner  of  the  fine 
public  schools  of  later  date. 

It  was  the  writer's  privilege,  while  delving  into  these  highways 
and  byways  of  the  past  and  present,  to  meet  the  family  of  Dexter 
Capron  Stanley,  who  came  with  his  father  and  brothers  to  Downers 
Grove  in  the  early  years  of  its  settlement.  Mr.  Stanley  is  in  his  ninety- 
seventh  year,  with  a  fair  lack  of  all  aches  associated  with  such  ripened 
years.  His  fine  memory  adds  to  the  charm  of  the  reminiscent  past. 
He  has  occupied  the  homestead  in  which  he  now  lives  for  the  past 
forty  years.  He  recalls  early  pioneer  days;  his  father's  first  log  cabin; 
the  plentiful  game  on  the  prairies;  the  exciting  wolf  and  fox  hunts; 
the  seasons  when  prairie  chicken  was  plentiful  and  when  the  wild 
geese  and  ducks  frequented  the  marshes  of  the  Du  Page.  Mrs.  Stanley 
is  the  daughter  of  an  Indiana  pioneer.  The  couple  were  married  in 
Michigan  City  of  that  State.  Mrs.  Stanley  is  now  in  her  seventy- 
seventh  year,  a  picture  of  health,  contentment  and  cheeriness,  and 
retaining  the  old-time  hospitality  in  greeting  the  stranger — that  per- 


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BOOK 


O  F 


THE 


WESTERN 


SUBURBS 


fection  of  graciousness  on  the  part  of  the  hostess  that  always  provides 
for  one  or  two  more  unexpecteds  at  the  home  table. 

Its  attractive  railroad  entrance,  its  beautifully  shaded  highways 
and  charming  homes — quite  a  few  of  the  latter  being  extremely  modern 
of  aspect — its  schools,  churches,  social  organizations  and  library, 
together  with  its  supply  of  pure  water,  render  Downers  Grove  an 
ideal  village,  with  modern  improvements  enough  to  suggest  the  city, 
but  with  the  beautifully  rolling  country  on  either  side. 

A  little  west  of  the  village  proper  and  on  Maple  avenue,  is  found 
the  highest  point  of  land  hereabout,  commanding  an  extensive  view 
of  the  surrounding  country.  Here,  some  years  ago,  one  of  the  Stanley 
brothers  built  a  home.  The  site  is  now  occupied  by  the  home  of  Mr. 
James  K.  Sebree.  This  elevation  is  about  two  hundred  feet  above 
Lake  Michigan,  while  grove-crowned  uplands  gradually  vanishing  in 
the  distance,  greet  the  eye  on  either  side,  affording  picturesque  sur- 
prises in  the  varying  seasons  as  well  as  between  the  hours  of  dawn 
and  departing  day. 


THE  STONE  BRIDGE,  DU  PAGE  RIVER 
Naperville,  111. 


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HOME  OF  MR.  EZRA  E.  MILLER 

Corner  Front  Street  and  Chicago  Avenue,  Naperville,  111. 


NAPERVILLE 

DU  Page  County  derives  its  name  from  the  Du  Page  River,  the 
latter  being  named  for  an  Indian  trader,  the  first  of  the  white 
race  to  invade  this  region.     Du  Page  had  established  himself 
near  the  confluence  of  the  forks  some  time  toward  the  close  of  the 
eighteenth  century.     Legends  tell  of  his  friendly  relations  with  the 
Indians,  of  his  genial  manner  toward  those  who  first  met  him  in  his 
wilderness  retreat,  and  that  when  the  real  settlers  came — 1830 — the 
river  was  already  known  as  the  Du  Page. 

The  attention  of  the  reader  has  already  been  drawn  to  the  fact  that 
rivers,  brooks  and  creeks  proved  as  attractive  to  the  white  man  as  to 
the  Indian.  Upon  the  banks  of  the  streams  was  more  or  less  timber 
affording  shelter  from  the  winds  of  the  open  prairie.  Fish  might  be 
obtained;  deer  and  other  animals  whose  skin  was  of  commercial  value 
would  congregate  here.  A  simple  canoe,  or  dug-out,  or  primitive 
flat-bottom  craft,  proved  of  untold  advantage  in  travel.  Again,  from 
the  more  practical  view-point  of  the  settler,  grist-mills  and  saw-mills 
might  be  established  by  aid  of  water-power;  while  the  farmer,  without 
undue  effort  on  his  part,  was  in  possession  of  a  watering  place  for  the 
cattle. 


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If 

is", 
ll 


Pogp  hundred  ten 


£    c 
' 


CD 

o 


o 


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HIGHWAYS      AND      BYWAYS—  PAST      AND      PRESENT 

In  such  localities  were  found  the  largest  of  Indian  villages;  and 
hither  came  the  pale  face,  staking  his  claim  and  building  a  log  home. 
From  such  primitive  beginnings  grew  communities,  that  developed 
into  thriving  villages,  and  which  today  surprise  by  their  live,  upto- 
date  aspect. 

Either  affluents  of  the  Du  Page,  but  more  particularly  its  western 
tributary,  attracted  the  first  settlers.  Mrs.  Kinzie,  in  "Wau-Bun, " 
very  graphically  describes  her  experiences  in  crossing  both  branches, 
when  on  her  way  to  Chicago  in  1831.  The  party  had  stopped  on  its 
way  westward,  at  a  settlement  in  the  vicinity  of  what  is  now  called 
Oswego.  Mrs.  Kinzie  tells  of  the  "long  stretch  of  prairie"  intervening 
between  the  latter  and  the  "west  fork  of  the  Du  Page." 

"The  weather  was  extremely  cold,"  she  writes,  "the  wind  sweeping 
over  the  wide  prairie  with  nothing  to  break  its  force.  .  .  I  beat  my 
feet  against  the  saddle  to  restore  circulation  .  .  .  until  they  were 
so  bruised  I  could  beat  them  no  longer.  Not  a  house  or  wigwam,  not 
even  a  clump  of  trees  as  a  shelter  offered  itself  for  many  a  weary  mile. 
At  length  we  reached  the  west  fork  of  the  Du  Page.  It  was  frozen 
but  not  sufficiently  so  to  bear  the  horses.  Our  only  resource  was  to 
cut  a  way  for  them  through  the  ice.  It  was  a  work  of  time  for  the 
ice  had  frozen  to  several  inches  in  thickness.  .  .  . 

"Plante  went  first  with  the  axe  and  cut  as  far  as  he  could  reach, 
then  mounted  one  of  the  hardy  little  ponies  and  with  some  difficulty 
broke  the  ice  before  him,  until  he  had  opened  a  passage  to  the  opposite 
shore.  We  were  all  across  at  last,  and  spurred  on  our  horses,  until 
we  reached  Hawley's,  a  large  commodious  dwelling  near  the  east  fork 
of  the  river.  The  good  woman  welcomed  us  kindly  and  soon  made  us 
warm  and  comfortable.  She  proceeded  immediately  to  prepare  dinner 
for  us,  and  we  watched  her  with  eager  eyes,  as  she  took  down  a  large 
ham  from  the  rafters,  out  of  which  she  cut  innumerable  slices,  then 
broke  a  dozen  or  more  eggs  into  a  pan,  in  readiness  for  frying — then 
mixed  a  johnny-cake  and  placed  it  against  a  board  in  front  of  the  fire 
to  bake. 

"It  seemed  to  me  that  even  with  the  aid  of  this  fine  bright  fire,  the 
dinner  took  unconscionable  time  to  cook;  but  cooked  at  last  it  was, 
and  truly  might  the  good  woman  stare  at  the  travelers'  appetites. 
She  did  not  know  what  short  commons  we  had  been  on  for  the  last 
two  days.  We  found  that  we  could,  by  pushing  on,  reach  Lawton's 
on  the  Aux  Plaines  that  night — we  should  then  be  about  twelve 
miles  of  Chicago.  .  .  We  made  no  unnecessary  delay.  .  .  The 
crossing  of  the  east  fork  of  the  Du  Page  was  more  perilous  than  the 
former  had  been.  The  ice  had  become  broken  .  .  .  floating  down 
in  large  cakes.  The  horses  had  to  make  a  rapid  dart  through  the 
water,  which  was  so  high  and  rushing  in  such  a  torrent  that  if  I  had 
not  been  mounted  on  Jerry,  the  tallest  horse  in  the  cavalcade,  I  must 
have  got  a  terrible  splashing.  As  it  was  I  was  well  frightened  and 
grasped  both  bridle  and  mane  with  the  utmost  tenacity." 

The  Hawley  to  whom  Mrs.  Kinzie  alludes  was  Pierce  (sometimes 
mis-spelled  "Perez")  Hawley,  who  staked  a  claim  on  the  east  fork  of 
the  Du  Page  in  June,  1830,  about  the  same  time  as  the  Blodgett  family 


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HIGHWAYS      AND       BYWAYS  —  PAST      AND       PRESENT 

and  others  staked  claims  near  the  Scott  Settlement,  which  was  in  close 
proximity  to  the  conjunction  of  the  forks  of  the  river. 

The  Naper  brothers,  Joseph  and  John,  possessed  the  essential 
characteristics  of  the  pioneer,  being  strong  of  physique  and  with  good 
staying  powers.  They  were  level-headed,  broadminded,  peaceably  and 
kindly  disposed,  generously  inclined,  and  courageous  when  danger 
threatened.  Joseph,  the  elder  brother,  began  his  career  as  a  cabin 
boy  on  a  steamer  on  Lake  Erie,  remaining  as  a  sailor  on  the  Lakes 
until  he  was  promoted  to  the  dignity  of  Captain  of  a  steamer  which 
plyed  between  Buffalo  and  Detroit  1828-1830.  John  Naper  was  a  sailor, 
also,  and  when  experienced  enough,  took  the  command  of  a  sailing  vessel 
until  1830.  In  the  early  spring  of  this  year,  Joseph  staked  a  claim 
on  the  banks  of  the  Du  Page.  The  Naper  brothers  owned  a  vessel, 
the  "Telegraph,"  which  they  sold  on  condition  that  they  should  deliver 
it  in  Chicago. 

In  June,  1831,  the  Naper  brothers  with  their  respective  families 
as  well  as  the  families  of  John  Murray,  Lyman  Butterfield,  Harry  T. 
Wilson,  and  a  man  named  Carpenter,  set  sail  from  Ashtabula,  Ohio, 
on  the  "Telegraph,"  arriving  in  Chicago  about  the  middle  of  July. 
In  due  course  they  pursued  their  way  over  the  trails  in  prairie  schooners, 
arriving  at  the  west  branch  of  the  Du  Page,  on  the  site  of  what  is  now 
the  village  of  Naperville. 

The  season  was  so  far  advanced,  that  it  was  useless  to  plant  any- 
thing but  buckwheat  and  rutabagas.  Later,  the  former  fields  attracted 
the  prairie  chickens  in  droves.  They  liked  the  new  food,  and  the 
settlers  enjoyed  prairie  chicken  dinners. 

By  the  middle  of  September  of  the  same  year,  this  settlement  had 
made  provision  for  the  education  of  its  young  folks.  The  contract 
with  the  first  pedagogue,  Lester  Peet,  was  made  for  a  term  of  four 
months  with  a  consideration  of  twelve  dollars  per  month.  It  also 
stipulated  that  the  teacher  should  ' '  board  with  the  scholars ' ' ;  and  that 
he  "agree  on  his  part  to  teach  a  regular  English  school,  teaching 
spelling,  reading,  writing,  arithmetic,  and  English  grammar  if  required." 
A  list  of  names  is  appended  to  the  contract,  by  which  each  subscriber 
pledges  himself  to  pay  for  the  number  of  scholars  placed  after  his  name. 
Joseph  Naper  heads  the  list  with  six.  There  were  no  funds  with  which 
to  build  a  schoolhouse,  but  material  was  in  the  groves  and  willing 
hands  and  stout  hearts  did  the  rest  and  the  log  schoolhouse  was  ready 
by  November  15. 

That  autumn  a  sawmill  was  under  construction  and  this  particular 
settlement  as  well  as  others  some  few  miles  below  grew  in  numbers 
although  the  Indians  were  not  yet  out  of  the  country.  Among  the 
arrivals,  after  the  Naper  colony  was  established,  was  Christopher 
Paine,  a  real  genius  in  the  devising  of  ways  and  means  by  which  to 
surmount  obstacles  obtruding  on  the  economic  conditions  of  the 
settler.  The  Napers  had  brought  to  the  vicinity  the  iron  work  needed 
in  the  construction  of  the  sawmill  mentioned  above.  But  a  dam 
was  needed  to  secure  the  power.  Mr.  Paine,  with  actually  nothing  at 
command  for  this  particular  purpose,  was  called  upon  to  devise  and 
construct  the  dam. 


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HIGHWAYS      AND       BYWAYS  —  PAST      AND       PRESENT 

Nothing  daunted,  the  pioneer  engineer  began  his  work.  First  he 
laid  a  series  of  logs,  next  in  order  came  stone,  then  the  straw  from  the 
buckwheat  fields  of  the  previous  summer  was  laid  in  order  to  hold  the 
dirt  in  place  with  which  the  logs  and  stones  were  to  be  bound  together. 
By  the  spring  of  the  next  year,  1832,  the  pioneer  mill  of  Du  Page 
county  was  in  working  order !  A  grist  mill  was  badly  needed,  and  Pierce 
Hawley,  who,  with  the  Scotts  and  the  Blodgetts  kept  up  a  friendly 
intercourse  with  all  the  new  arrivals,  planned  for  the  construction  of 
the  mill,  if  he  could  only  get  mill-stones.  In  his  dilemma,  he  sought 
Mr.  Paine  who,  after  some  moments  of  quiet  thinking,  exclaimed, 
"By  Jinks,  I  can  make  "em."  Hawley  believed  he  could,  so  set  to  work 
to  perform  his  part  in  the  building  of  the  structure. 

Paine  selected  from  the  grove,  two  good  boulders,  and  by  the  aid 
of  stone  chisels — the  production  of  Blodgett,  the  blacksmith — pecked 
and  pecked,  until  he  had  the  boulders  fashioned  into  upper  and  nether 
millstones!  These  were  propelled  by  oxen  yoked  to  a  sweep.  Each 
neighbor  brought  his  grain,  grinding  the  same  with  his  own  yoke  of 
oxen  or  team.  No  record  is  found  of  tolls  being  paid.  It  seems  to 
have  been  a  free  institution ;  one  of  brotherly  helpfulness. 

Mr.  Paine  also  encouraged  the  cultivation  of  flax  and  made  the 
necessary  machinery,  spinning-wheel  and  loom,  by  which  it  might  be 
woven  into  material  for  clothing,  etc.  Mrs.  Paine  possessed  the  true 
helpful  spirit  of  the  pioneer  "haus-frau."  She  entered  into  her  hus- 
band's projects  and  spun  and  wove,  and  even  colored  the  thread, 
making  suits  for  her  family  as  well  as  for  her  husband  and  self.  It 
is  said,  that  Mr.  Paine,  might  be  seen  during  the  winter  months 
wearing  a  buckskin  sack  coat,  the  material  of  which  had  been  tanned 
and  made  by  himself,  but  beneath  its  edges  was  visible  the  vest  of 
gaily  checked  linen,  woven  and  made  by  his  wife. 

R.  F.  W.  Peck,  of  Chicago,  came  to  the  settlement  to  form  a  part- 
nership in  general  merchandise,  with  the  Naper  brothers.  A  store  of 
logs  was  erected — the  first  of  its  kind  in  Du  Page  county.  The  winter 
of  1831-32  was  of  undue  severity  and  hardships  were  patiently  endured 
by  the  Naper  community.  Spring  came  with  its  flood  of  sunshine 
and  genial  atmosphere;  the  ground  was  broken  and  fenced.  Seedtime 
brought  promise.  Then  from  the  rich  forest  growth  came  whisperings 
of  the  Black  Hawk  and  his  band;  of  his  determination  to  rid  the 
country  of  the  pale  face.  Mr.  Peck  became  discouraged  and  his 
partnership  with  the  Napers  was  dissolved  by  mutual  consent,  the 
brothers  giving  him  three  lots,  80  x  165  feet  on  South  Water  street, 
Chicago,  as  his  interest  in  the  business.  The  Napers,  all  unconscious 
of  the  fact,  by  this  deal,  laid  the  foundation  of  the  princely  fortune 
which  Mr.  Peck  afterwards  enjoyed. 

The  Napers  were  not  easily  discouraged.  They  remained  apparently 
indifferent,  but  watchful.  This  had  its  effect  not  only  on  the  immediate 
community,  but  on  those  little  colonies  which  had  fearlessly  established 
themselves  a  few  miles  apart  from  each  other.  Then  came  something 
more  than  mere  rumor;  and  brave  men,  while  arming  for  the  fray, 
blanched  with  sickening  dread  at  the  thought  of  exposing  women  and 
children  to  the  merciless  attack.  So  the  latter  were  put  into  wagons 
and  under  escort  sent  to  the  protection  of  Fort  Dearborn. 


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HIGHWAYS      AND       BYWAYS  —  PAST      AND       PRESENT 

Twenty  men  remained  to  protect  property  from  depredations. 
This  company  was  quartered  in  the  log  home  of  Captain  Joseph  Naper 
and  they  kept  vigilant  watch  during  the  night.  The  following  morn- 
ing, Bernardus  Laughton,  from  the  Des  Plaines,  with  three  Indians 
and  a  half-breed,  arrived  at  the  Naper  settlement  to  gather  news  of 
the  movements  of  the  Indians.  Some  ten  miles  distant  a  band  of 
Pottawattomies  was  encamped.  It  was  therefore  resolved  that  a 
party  accompany  Laughton  and  the  three  Indians  to  this  particular 
rendezvous.  An  amusing  legend  is  treasured  by  the  descendants  of 
the  pioneer  families  of  Naperville  in  connection  with  this  event. 

Two  men  had  been  placed  that  morning  as  patrol  on  the  bit  of 
prairie  intervening  between  the  dense  growth  of  timber  then  environ- 
ing the  settlement  and  the  Big  Woods  beyond,  in  which  were  camped 
the  Pottawattomies.  The  party  setting  out,  by  way  of  a  joke,  thought 
they  would  test  the  courage  of  the  patrol.  So  they  sent  the  three 
Indians  in  advance  with  instructions  what  to  do.  As  soon  as  the 
Indians  came  in  sight  of  the  patrol,  they  uttered  a  terriffic  war-whoop. 
The  patrol  sprang  to  horse  and  fled  in  the  wildest  dismay,  first  north- 
ward where  they  were  intercepted  by  some  members  of  the  company, 
whom  they  took  for  savages,  and  then  wheeling  in  another  direction, 
they  were  again  intercepted  by  the  three  Indians.  Feeling  that  dis- 
cretion was  the  better  part  of  valor  so  long  as  numbers  were  against 
them,  they  came  to  a  halt,  laid  down  their  arms  and  sued  for  mercy. 
Presently  they  realized  they  had  been  the  victims  of  a  hoax.  There 
are  many  such  amusing  anecdotes  associated  with  this  period  which 
must  necessarily  remain  untold  in  these  pages.  One  fact  should  be 
borne  in  mind,  however.  This  section  of  the  country  was  not  settled 
by  an  indifferent  class  of  colonists.  They  were  heroic,  thrifty  men 
and  women.  The  majority  were  from  Revolutionary  stock.  That 
which  their  fathers  accomplished  was  an  inheritance  adapting  them 
for  pioneer  work. 

The  Naper  Settlement  was  platted  in  1842,  taking  unto  itself  the 
more  dignified  title  of  Naperville  and  it  was  incorporated  under  this 
same  title  in  1857,  so  the  name  of  its  pioneer  family  was  perpetuated. 
Its  brave  sons  have  gone  forth  in  defense  of  the  "Starry  Banner,"  not 
a  few  yielding  their  lives  in  its  defense.  Its  court-house  square  has  a 
memorial  shaft,  upon  which  are  recorded  the  names  of  those  engaged 
in  the  Black  Hawk  War,  1832;  Mexico,  1846-8;  Civil  War,  1861-5; 
Spain,  1898. 

The  Naperville  of  today  (1912)  is  elbowing  with  unmistakeable 
thrusts  at  the  yesterday;  the  modern  squeezes  beside  or  in  between 
the  antiquated  semblances  of  the  frontier  period.  These  old-timers 
peer  forlornly  enough  on  finely  paved  streets  and  other  improvements 
that  are  quickly  forestalling  the  past.  Imposing  structures  are  the 
Nichols  Library  and  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Building,  Its  college,  two  grade 
schools,  and  fine  High  School  long  ago  gave  expression  to  the  educa- 
tional ambitions  of  its  residents.  There  are  also  many  charming 
homes  of  modern  type  on  the  beautifully  undulating  portions  that 
lift  from  the  wooded  banks  of  the  river  in  a  series  of  picturesque 
undulations. 

The  pioneer  log  house,  in  which  Captain  Naper  lived,  is  still  a 
memento  of  the  past.  It  has  a  clap-board  covering,  but  is,  otherwise, 


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WESTERN" 


SUBURBS 


significant  of  the  little  dun-colored  structures  that  dotted  the  landscape 
in  the  early  days  of  pioneer  settlement.  In  its  vicinity,  and  on  a  rising 
slope,  where  but  yesterday,  the  settlers  builded  a  block-house  ("Fort 
Naper"),  and  in  which  their  families  sought  shelter  after  the  return 
from  Fort  Dearborn,  today,  stands  "Heatherton,"  the  beautiful  home 
of  Mr.  John  S.  Goodwin.  Its  architectural  design  imparts  a  significant 
dignity  to  this  commanding  and  historic  site. 

On  a  finely  paved  highway  which  was  in  the  early  time  a  primitive 
trail,  is  the  homestead  of  George  Martin,  who  came  to  this  neighbor- 
hood in  1833,  purchasing  from  the  Government  and  from  the  Napers 
a  total  of  one  thousand  acres.  Across  the  street  is  seen  the  charming 
home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  G.  Mitchell,  the  latter  being  a  descendant 
of  the  pioneer  Martin,  who  was  a  Scotchman  by  birth,  a  man  of  liberal 
education,  fine  principles,  and  of  broad  views. 

The  entrance  to  this  town  by  its  railway  is  imposing.  In  fact,  it 
would  be  difficult  to  find  such  a  succession  of  fine  architectural  struc- 
tures as  those  with  which  the  C.,  B.  &  Q.  has  graced  these  Western 
Suburbs. 


THE  DU  PAGE  RIVER,  NAPERVILLE,  ILL. 
Vicinity  of  Log  House  of  First  Settler 


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THE  THREE  ELMS.  CAMPUS 
Wheaton  College,  Wheaton.  111. 


WHEATON 


"  Be  it  ours  to  meditate, 
In  these  calm  shades,  Thy  milder  majesty, 
And  to  the  beautiful  order  of  Thy  works 
Learn  to  conform  the  order  of  our  lives." 

— Wm.  C.  Bryant. 


BETWEEN   eight  and  nine  miles  northeast  of  Naperville,  and  in 
the  township  of  Milton,  lies  Wheaton.     The  year  following  the 
Black   Hawk   war,  a  small   settlement  was  established  in  this 
vicinity.     Its  pioneers,  Lyman  Butterfield  and  Henry  T.  Wilson,  two 
of  the  original  Naperville  colonists,  staked  claims  in  what  is  now 
designated  Milton  township,  and  near  the  present  site  of  Wheaton. 

Erastus  Gary,  of  Puritan  stock,  came  from  Pomfret,  Mass.,  to 
St.  Joseph,  Mich.,  in  1831.  For  one  winter  he  taught  school,  then 
resolved  to  push  still  farther  westward.  With  three  companions  he 
made  his  way,  in  a  dug-out,  to  Chicago  where  he  remained  one  night. 
The  following  morning  he  started  on  foot,  westward.  Muddy  trails, 
swamps  and  sloughs  intercepted  the  route,  and,  almost  exhausted, 
Mr.  Gary  reached  Laughton's  tavern  (Riverside)  that  night.  Here 


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HIGHWAYS      AND       BYWAYS  —  PAST      AND       PRESENT 


Photo  liv  Benin 


HOME  OF  MR.  H.  A.  SCHRYVER 
Wheaton.  111. 


he  rested  until  morning.  At  daybreak  he  resumed  his  tramping, 
reaching  the  Naper  settlement  that  evening  and  on  his  twenty-seventh 
birthday.  Attracted  by  the  beautifully  undulating  country  to  the 
north  and  east,  Mr.  Gary  again  took  up  the  trail  on  the  following  day 
and  arriving  at  the  Wilson  and  Butterfield  claims,  staked  one  adjoining 
that  of  the  latter. 

It  was  customary,  at  this  period,  to  mark  off  more  land  than  one 
expected  to  keep,  and  both  Mr.  Gary  and  Mr.  Butterfield  pursued 
this  course,  bearing  in  mind  those  friends  and  acquaintances  in  the 
East,  who  had  already  declared  their  intention  to  come  later  and  join 
forces  in  settling  up  the  country,  then  generally  designated  as  the 
"wild  and  woolly  West!" 

Five  years  later,  came  Warren  L.  Wheaton,  little  dreaming  that  he 
was  to  become  sponsor  for  the  beautiful  college  town  now  bearing  his 
name.  He  was  then  in  his  twenty-sixth  year,  ambitious,  strong  of 
body  and  of  good  mental  and  moral  calibre,  but  cautious  and  perhaps 
somewhat  skeptical  as  to  the  advantages  of  immediately  staking  a  claim. 
He  therefore  resolved  to  travel  the  prairie  country  both  on  foot  and 
on  horseback  before  deciding  upon  location.  Making  the  Gary  home 
his  headquarters,  Mr.  Wheaton,  in  due  course,  visited  St.  Louis, 
Quincy,  Burlington,  Dubuque  and  Galena.  After  a  year  spent  in  this 
desultory  prospecting  he  footed  it  over  the  old  Dixon  trail  to  his 
friend's  log  home. 


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HIGHWAYS      AND      BYWAYS  —  PAST      AND       PRESENT 


THE  CHICAGO  GOLF  CLUB 

Wheaton.  III. 
The  Club  House  shown  above  was  recently  destroyed  by  fire 


In  the  meantime,  a  claim  jumper  had  arrived  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  and  by  aid  of  an  ox-team  had  turned  the  prairie  sod  on  a  por- 
tion of  the  Butterfield  and  Gary  claim,  having  plowed  around  thirty 
acres  before  being  discovered.  The  original  claimants  sought  to 
induce  him  to  withdraw  by  following  with  their  ox-team  plow  over 
the  same  furrow.  Mr.  Wheaton  happened  there  just  as  the  con- 
troversy was  warming  as  to  individual  rights  over  the  site  in  dispute. 
The  intruder  seems  to  have  been  amenable  to  reason,  however,  and 
the  controversy  was  settled  without  further  dispute.  But  this  incident 
hastened  the  decision  of  Wheaton.  Fearing  that  the  nearest  available 
site  might  be  taken  while  he  hesitated,  he  took  the  Gary  team  to  the 
coveted  site  eastward  and  turned  a  furrow  around  some  640  acres,  in 
order  to  secure  it. 

The  country  was  now  becoming  cognizant  of  that  great  onward 
trend  westward.  That  movement  in  and  around  which  is  incor- 
porated the  homebuilding  instinct  of  the  American  people.  Other 
nations  were  reaching  toward  aggrandizement  by  way  of  military 
conquest;  America  was  simply  working  out  her  destiny  along  the 
paths  of  peace,  and  the  little  dun-colored  structures  dotting  the  prairie 
were  but  the  forerunners  of  the  charming  homes  and  magnificent 
structures  that  greet  one  in  the  thriving  and  prosperous  suburbs  of 
today.  So,  to  Chicago  by  way  of  the  Lakes,  and  from  thence  over 
the  prairies  in  hooded  wagons  drawn  by  the  patient,  slow-going  ox- 
teams,  came  colonies  of  homebuilders.  And  in  1849,  prospectors  were 
out  for  right  of  way  for  the  Galena  and  Chicago  Union  Railroad ! 


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HIGHWAYS      AND      BYWAYS  —  PAST      AND      PRESENT 


THE  COTTAGES,  CHICAGO  GOLF  CLUB 
Wheaton,  111. 


The  Wheatons  —  for  the  brother  Jesse  C.  had  arrived  soon  after 
Warren  -had  staked  his  claim  —  were  in  sympathy  with  the  railroad 
project,  and  generously  gave  right  of  way  for  some  two  miles  through 
their  property,  on  condition  that  no  depot  or  railroad  building  should 
be  erected  thereon.  Autumn  of  this  same  year  found  the  track  of 
strap-iron  spiked  on  wooden  scantling.  Any  old  rickety,  second- 
hand substitute  for  a  locomotive  was  deemed  good  enough  to  proceed 
with  due  caution  over  this  white  man's  trail.  The  most  forlorn  of 
coaches,  judged  from  the  point  of  view  of  today,  were  in  the  yesterday, 
deemed  luxuries!  A  primitive,  shed-like  structure  served  the  purpose 
of  "dee-po."  But  with  these  simple  beginnings  this  western  settle- 
ment soon  took  unto  itself  the  responsibility  of  village  organization  to 
be  later  distinguished  by  the  title  "City  of  Country  Homes." 

Store  and  tavern  —  the  latter  suggesting  hospitality  to  the  way- 
farer—  was  soon  in  evidence.  Later,  came  the  full-fledged  "country 
store"  in  which  general  merchandise  found  a  place.  The  proprietor 
was  H.  H.  Fuller.  He  also  managed  a  hotel,  served  as  postmaster 
and  gave  some  attention  to  the  depot  and  stage  office.  There  was  a 
village  smithy,  where  the  blacksmith  in  the  person  of  Mr.  Wormwith, 
wielded  "his  heavy  sledge  with  measured  beat  and  slow." 

In  June,  1853,  a  part  of  the  village  was  platted  and  laid  out  by  the 
Wheaton  brothers.  The  charter  by  which  it  was  first  incorporated 
was  approved  in  1859.  Ten  years  later,  its  territory  extended,  a 
second  charter  was  drawn  up  and  approved.  This  was  followed  by 
a  more  liberal  public  policy.  Streets  were  graded  and  later  gravelled, 


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THE  OLDEST  HOUSE  IN  WHEATOX,  ILL. 


there  being  a  plentiful  supply  of  material  at  hand,  and  later,  the  village 
fathers  deemed  it  advisable  to  purchase  a  gravel  pit.  The  arboreal 
beauty  of  Wheaton  today  is  due  to  the  forethought  and  energy  of  the 
city  fathers  of  yesterday. 

Wheaton  blossomed  into  a  county  seat  in  1866.  Hitherto,  Naper- 
ville  held  this  honor  with  grace  and  efficiency.  So  strongly  were  its 
citizens  opposed  to  the  change,  that  legends  amusing  and  otherwise, 
are  associated  with  the  descent  of  the  Wheatonites  on  the  courthouse 
at  Naperville,  and  their  capture  of  the  public  documents  by  force. 
There  exists  no  abiding  grudge  between  the  communities,  however. 
Why  should  there  be?  Naperville  has  traditions  which  any  suburb 
might  well  envy.  Its  settlement  began  while  the  Indian  was  yet  lord 
of  the  prairie  and  the  grove!  Think  of  the  courage  and  diplomacy  it 
required  on  the  part  of  both  men  and  women  to  face  the  conditions 
at  that  period! 

The  propriety  of  having  an  educational  institution  representative 
of  its  particular  denomination  located  within  the  State,  was  seriously 
discussed  at  the  Annual  Conference  of  the  Wesleyan  Methodists  of 
Illinois,  in  1848.  Wheaton  was  selected  as  its  site.  Tradition  records 
that  its  founders  journeyed  to  this  vicinity,  ascended  the  elevated 
plateau,  then  kneeling  on  its  prairie  sod  invoked  the  Divine  Blessing 
upon  the  contemplated  project.  Standing  on  the  college  campus 
today,  and  recalling  the  beautiful  little  legend  associated  with  its 
birth,  the  whole  environment  becomes  sacred.  Each  tree,  planted 


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HIGHWAYS      AND       BYWAYS  —  PAST      AND       PRESENT 


NEW  STATION  AURORA,  ELGIN  &  CHICAGO  R.  R. 
Wheaton.  111. 


there  in  faith  and  hope,  is  a  memorial  to  those  who  planned  better 
than  could  ever  be  conceived.  In  1854,  instruction  commenced  in  a 
single  building,  designated  the  "Illinois  Institute."  Six  years  later, 
Jonathan  Blanchard,  who  for  fourteen  years  had  been  at  the  head 
of  Knox  College,  was  called  to  the  presidency  of  the  newer  institution. 
The  name  was  changed  to  Wheaton  College.  While  Dr.  Blanchard 
manfully  struggled  through  many  vicissitudes  in  striving  to  bring  the 
institution  to  that  grade  of  proficiency  enjoyed  by  it  today,  he  never 
seems  to  have  been  wholly  discouraged.  Its  first  set-back  after  Dr. 
Blanchard  took  charge  was  the  Civil  War.  The  clarion  call  to  arms 
reached  its  peaceful  precincts.  Several  of  its  students,  some  of  whom 
never  returned,  rallied  in  defense  of  their  country's  honor.  In  1882, 
Dr.  Blanchard  became  president  emeritus  with  an  annual  stipend, 
while  his  son  Charles  A.  Blanchard,  who  had  been  associated  with  his 
father  for  ten  years,  was  elected  successor. 

Wheaton  College  maintains  high  ideals,  believing  that  intellectual 
pursuits  should  be  combined  with  all  that  pertains  to  a  noble  and 
useful  life.  This  institution  is  also  free  from  the  bane  of  secret  socie- 
ties. Its  students  are  aiming  to  be  character  builders;  to  take  their 
place  in  the  world  with  an  equipment  of  energy,  truth,  sincerity  and 
honor  that  must  ultimately  tell  upon  the  community  and  upon  the 
nation  at  large.  Each  one  in  his  or  her  particular  sphere  doing  the  duty 
that  "lies  nearest"  and  doing  all  for  the  betterment  of  humanity  at 
large.  Many  of  its  students  have  made  good  records  in  both  com- 
mercial and  professional  careers,  and  Wheaton  College,  apart  as  it  is 


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BOOK    OF    THE    WESTERN    SUBURBS 

by  nature's  environment,  being  far  removed  from  distracting  influences, 
possesses  an  atmosphere  conducive  to  study  and  moral  uplift. 

Wheaton  is  a  city  of  homes,  many  of  which  are  in  fine  park-like 
settings.  It  has  twenty-two  miles  of  paved  highways  above  which,  in 
loving  and  exclusive  fashion,  stretch  the  arms  of  its  pioneer  tree  growth. 
There  are  church  homes  for  eleven  religious  sects,  the  Gary  Memorial 
M.  E.  Church,  costing  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  perpetuating 
the  name  of  its  active  pioneers.  Besides  grade  schools  and  High 
School,  there  are  two  parochial  schools  —  Catholic  and  German 
Lutheran,  respectively  —  and  a  Farm  Vacation  School  for  boys.  The 
Adams  Memorial  Library  building  is  of  magnificent  proportions,  more 
pretentious  than  anything  of  its  kind  in  towns  of  similar  size.  It 
offers  a  free  circulation  of  books,  free  reading  rooms,  a  large  lecture  room 
as  well  as  three  rooms  for  the  use  of  clubs. 

The  Aurora,  Elgin  and  Chicago  R.  R.  Co.  has  just  completed  a  very 
fine  architectural  structure  for  depot  purposes.  This  electric  railroad, 
well  equipped  in  every  sense,  has  been  a  vital  element  in  later  years 
toward  the  building  up  of  towns  and  villages  along  its  right  of  way. 
Regular  and  quick  service  and  politeness  on  the  part  of  its  employees 
are  characteristics  materially  effective  in  the  rapidly  disappearing 
prairie. 

About  a  mile  southwest  of  Wheaton  is  the  fine  course  of  the 
Chicago  Golf  Club,  said  to  be  the  first  of  its  kind  organized  in  this 
part  of  the  country.  It  is  reached  by  the  Chicago  and  Aurora 
electric,  and  adjoining  the  latter,  is  "Green  Gables,"  the  country 
seat  of  Mr.  George  Plamondon.  This  lovely  home  is  on  an  elevation 
overlooking  a  wide  range  of  country,  and  its  site  has  everything  in  it 
to  suggest  its  former  occupancy  by  the  Indian  as  a  place  where  the 
tribes  gathered  for  council. 

The  Wheatonites  have  an  excellent  golf  course  and  club  house  just 
east  of  the  Chicago  Golf  grounds. 


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VALVISTA 
Home  of  Mr.  Frank  D.  Abbott,  St.  Charles  Road,  Glen  Ellyn,  111. 


GLEN  ELLYN 

GROVES,  hillocks,  vales,  and  a  lovely  lake  snuggled  in  between ! 
And  viewing  this  same  site  today,  one  really  wonders  why  the 
settlers  of  seventy-five  years  ago  did  not  rush  to  this  attractive 
spot  instead  of  plodding  still  farther  westward.     But  the  western 
horizon,  with  its  glory  of  light  and  color,  with  its  ever  beckoning  dis- 
tances, seemed  to  promise  everything  desirable  to  the  one  who  ven- 
tured.    So  the  beautiful  lake  shimmered  in  its  gem-like  setting  of  grace- 
ful undulations  crowned  with  superb  tree  growth,  while  westward  and 
southward  colonies  were  already  established. 

It  was  a  paradise  to  the  gentle  deer;  a  skulking  place  for  the  wolf, 
a  haven  for  the  prairie  chicken;  while  the  feathered  songsters  made  it 
a  palace  of  delight.  How  the  Indian  must  have  loved  this  particular 
site!  Between  the  vistas  of  maple,  elm  and  walnut  he  commanded 
a  view  of  the  surrounding  country ;  the  same  stalwart  growth  afforded 
him  protection  from  adverse  winds ;  while  the  springs  which  here  abound 
were  sacred  to  his  Manitou,  for  he  believed  in  their  healing  properties. 
"Great  Medicine!"  he  pronounced  them.  But  the  poor  Indian  was 
driven  with  his  face  toward  the  setting  sun,  while  hillock,  vale,  lake, 
and  forest  awaited  their  destiny. 

Then  one  day,  there  was  borne  in  on  the  solitude,  a  strange,  ringing 
sound.  The  deer  fled  to  the  more  shadowy  recesses  bounding  the 


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HIGHWAYS      AND       BYWAYS— PAST      AND       PRESENT 


THE  ROAD  BY  THE  LAKE 
Glen  Ellyn,  111. 


lake;  the  wolf  slunk  to  his  lair;  the  prairie  chicken  rushed  to  cover,  and 
the  feathered  songsters  took  to  the  topmost  branches  to  watch.  Yes; 
there  could  be  no  mistake.  There  were  the  bipeds,  with  arms  instead 
of  wings,  with  clumsy  body  covering  in  lieu  of  feathers,  blazing  the 
trees,  slashing  off  big,  bonnie  boughs  and  cutting  and  whittling  them 
into  stakes  they  forced  into  the  soil! 

The  brothers,  Winslow  and  Seth  Churchill  together  with  John 
D.  Ackerman,  made  their  claims  in  1834.  Winslow  (also  given  as  Wil- 
liam) Churchill  in  1837  built  a  home  here.  Then  he  sold  part  of  his 
land  to  Dr.  L.  V.  or  L.  Q.  Newton,  who  built  the  first  frame  house  in 
this  section.  Dr.  Newton,  after  the  coming  of  the  railroad  in  1849, 
and  in  order  to  coax  the  company  to  a  courteous  consideration  toward 
the  small  settlement,  put  up  a  station.  He  installed  David  Kelly  as 
major  domo.  Kelly,  who  had  formerly  kept  a  post  office  at  his  farm, 
some  three  miles  north,  now  instituted  a  hostelry  and  post  office 
combined  in  the  depot  building. 

A  post  office  must  not  be  nameless,  and  in  casting  around  for  a 
title,  Kelly  could  think  of  none  better  than  that  of  Danby,  a  town  in 
Vermont  from  whence  he  originated.  May,  1854,  Newton  platted  the 
village  under  this  title,  but  in  1876,  it  adopted  the  more  sanguine  cog- 
nomen of  "Prospect  Park."  There  was  nothing  of  poetry  in  either 
title,  but  its  day  of  redemption  had  not  arrived. 

The  date  when  this  beautifully  located  and  charming  village  received 
its  present  designation  "Glen  Ellyn,"  the  writer  is  not  prepared  to 
state,  but  there  is  an  association  reaching  back  some  twenty-five  years 
or  more  when  an  excursion  to  Glen  Ellyn  formed  a  red-letter  day  in 
the  history  of  herself  and  her  husband.  It  was  then  very  beautiful; 


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THE 


WESTERN- 


SUBURBS 


all  that  Nature  could  do  to  enhance  its  loveliness  was  much  in  evidence. 
Its  main  highway  still  gave  evidence  of  the  frontier  period.  It  was 
quaint  and  traditional  of  aspect.  But  it  bore  the  attractive  title  of 
"Glen  Ellyn."  The  lake  is  known  as  "Ellyn,"  the  village  as  Glen 
Ellyn,  this  combination  being  both  euphonious  and  appropriate  to  the 
old  Celtic  designation  for  glen  or  vale  or  a  depression  between  hills. 
Some  one  with  poetic  sentiment  must  have  originated  this  pretty 
title. 

The  site  of  Glen  Ellyn  is  150  feet  above  Lake  Michigan  and  is 
twenty-two  miles  west  of  Chicago,  both  steam  and  electricity  furnishing 
excellent  transportation  in  from  38  to  55  minutes.  There  are  two  good 
schools  built  of  brick,  four  churches,  and  over  two  thousand  of  a  popu- 
lation. Its  social  advantages  includes  golfing,  boating  and  other 
aquatic  sports,  while  winter  brings  its  round  of  skating,  tobogganing, 
and  sleigh-rides.  There  is  also  a  delightful  philanthropic  work  carried 
on  here  —  in  the  form  of  a  boy's  outing  club,  of  which  Mrs.  Rose 
Fisher  Kennedy  is  the  moving  spirit. 


OLD  DUTCH  WINDMILL 
York  Center,  111. 


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HOME  OF  MR.  A.  H.  ANDREWS 
Lombard,  III. 


LOMBARD 

EAST  of  Glen  Ellyn  and  midway  between  the  latter  place  and 
Elmhurst,  is  Lombard,  in  the  township  of  York.  This  town- 
ship was  settled  mainly  by  families  from  New  York  State, 
hence  its  name.  Lombard  was  originally  known  as  Babcock's  Grove 
— that  is  its  post  office  and  railway  depot  were  known  by  this  title. 
In  1834,  Luther  Morton  and  W.  Churchill,  Jr.,  staked  claims  and  built 
a  log  cabin  near  the  present  site  of  the  Chicago  and  North- Western 
depot.  Ultimately,  in  1867,  a  goodly  portion  of  the  land  passed  into 
the  possession  of  Josiah  Lombard,  who  platted  the  site  a  year  later 
and  became  sponsor  for  its  present  name.  In  1869,  it  was  incorporated 
as  the  village  of  Lombard,  and  station  and  post  office  assumed  this 
title. 

The  projectors  of  this  site  had  always  been  most  sanguine  as  to  its 
future,  believing  that  as  the  country  settled  and  the  railroad  had 
arrived,  its  site  would  develop  into  one  characterized  by  a  thrifty 
commercialism.  But  it  has  largely  remained  a  village  of  homes.  In 
1851  it  had  five  frame  dwellings  and  one  store  as  well  as  a  building  owned 
by  the  railroad  company,  which  was  utilized  for  depot  purposes  as 
well  as  for  a  hotel.  Its  first  church  was  here  at  this  period. 


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HIGHWAYS      AND      BYWAYS  —  PAST      AND       PRESENT 


GARDEN  AND  LAWN.  HOME  OF  MR.  A.  H.  ANDREWS 
Lombard,  111. 


The  Lombard  of  today  presents  many  possibilities.  It  is  a  delight- 
ful village  around  which  radiates  an  atmosphere  of  restfulness.  It 
has  schools  and  churches,  water  and  a  good  sewage  system;  a  sane 
social  life  and  a  golf  club.  But  the  magician,  in  the  form  of  a  clever 
sub-divider  has  not  yet  touched  it  with  his  wand.  When  he  arrives, 
Lombard,  with  its  undulating  surface,  its  lovely  tree  growth  and  its 
excellent  transportation  service,  will  respond  with  a  vim  that  will 
surprise  the  communities  that  have  grown  up  on  its  eastern  and  western 
borders. 

In  the  township  of  York,  there  was  in  the  days  of  earliest  settlement, 
one  of  the  busiest  of  grist  mills.  Its  great  arms  flapped  to  the  prairie 
winds,  for  it  was  a  real  Dutch  windmill,  with  its  round  tower-like 
formation.  But  it  was  a  boon  to  the  settlers.  We  are  now  in  an 
age  of  steam  and  electricity  and  of  rapid  transportation,  and  cannot 
conceive  of  all  the  pioneers  endured  in  the  days  when  conditions  were 
otherwise.  Then  honor  to  their  memory:  the  fathers  who  tilled  the 
soil ;  the  mothers,  who  —  well  their  task  never  ended  until  they  folded 
their  hands  in  the  last  long  sleep. 


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BYRU'S  NEST  CHAPEL 


ELMHURST 

"No  palm  branch  waved  at  temple  or  at  triumph,  is  fair  as  an  elm  branch." 

— Quayle. 

A  SMALL  settlement  of  thrifty  Germans  was  found  on  this  site  in 
1837.  But  J.  L.  Hovey,  who  came  from  Ohio,  is  considered  its 
real  pioneer.  In  1843,  on  a  bit  of  an  elevation  commanding  a 
sweeping  view  of  the  prairie,  Mr.  Hovey  built  a  cottage.  As  was 
customary  when  an  abode  became  known  as  a  public  hostelry  in  early 
days,  it  was  designated  a  "tavern,"  and  as  we  have  learned  by  pre- 
vious chapters,  these  taverns  dotted  the  landscape  at  distances  well 
calculated  between  Chicago  and  the  frontier  settlements.  Later,  Mr. 
Hovey  desired  to  install  a  post  office.  The  latter  having  to  be  desig- 
nated by  name,  the  rising  ground,  together  with  the  simple  architecture, 
suggested  "Hill  Cottage." 


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OF         THE         WESTERN 


SUBURBS 


Photo  by  Be 


HOME  OF  MR.  C.  J.  ALBERT 
Elmhurst,  111. 


John  Wentworth  (familiarly  called  Long  John  on  account  of  his 
tallness)  was  the  Congressional  representative  of  this  district,  and  he 
presented  the  petition  for  "Hill  Cottage"  post  office.  The  post- 
master general  objected  to  the  name  for  the  reason  that  "so  many 
post  offices"  already  bore  the  prefix  of  "hill."  He  therefore  granted 
the  petition  on  condition  that  the  title  be  "Cottage  Hill." 

This  site  presented  many  attractions.  It  was  within  fair  distance 
of  the  growing  city  by  the  lake,  and  moneyed  men  doing  business  in 
Chicago  were  seeking  productive  sites  for  country  homes.  One  of  the 
first  to  venture  on  such  a  quest,  was  the  late  Thomas  B.  Bryan,  who 
made  a  purchase  of  several  hundred  acres.  Plenty  of  good  land  for 
farming  and  stock  raising,  with  springs  of  clear  water  in  the  vicinity, 
or  a  plentiful  supply  to  be  had  by  boring  —  but  no  trees ! 

Yonder,  with  a  mile  or  more  of  prairie  intervening,  were  trees,  one 
particular  grove  traditionally  designated  the  "Sleeping  Giant"  from 
its  suggestion  of  form.  Mr.  Bryan  resolved  to  attack  the  "giant" 
and  force  him  to  yield  the  richest  and  best  of  his  domain  —  trees 
that  could  be  transported  and  transplanted  with  success.  And  he 
did;  with  the  result  that  avenue  after  avenue  of  trees  of  noble  girth 
and  majestic  sweep  are  the  distinguishing  feature  of  Elmhurst  today. 
In  fact,  around  the  trees  of  Elmhurst  are  embodied  some  of  its  loftiest 
traditions,  for  others  followed  in  the  pioneer  tree  planting  suggested 
by  Mr.  Bryan.  It  was  a  work  done  for  posterity ;  a  task  by  which  man's 


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HIGHWAY"  S      AND      BYWAYS  —  PAST      AND      PRESENT 


Photo  by  Benv 


HOME  OF  DR.  HENRY  FREDERICK  LANGHORST 
Elmhurst,  111. 


consideration  for  his  kind  evolved  itself  into  that  noblest  of  attri- 
butes —  unselfishness. 

One  can  readily  understand  how  the  designation  "Cottage  Hill" 
became  a  misfit  in  this  scheme  of  arboreal  grandeur.  As  the  elms 
with  their  stately  pillars  lifted  heavenward,  or  stretched  their  limbs 
in  an  abandon  of  grace,  above  the  highways  and  byways,  creating 
woodlands  and  groves  of  exceptional  charm,  the  poetic  temperament 
of  the  originator  of  this  fairy  transformation,  was  moved  to  suggest 
a  title  more  in  keeping  with  its  appearance.  So,  in  1870,  Mr.  Bryan 
suggested  the  beautiful  name  "Elmhurst."  "Elm"  from  its  pre- 
dominating tree  growth,  and  "hurst"  from  the  old  English  "hyrst" 
which  has  its  equivalent  in  the  German  "horst"  meaning  thicket,  or 
wood,  or  grove. 

Mr.  Bryan  built  a  pretentious  country  home  in  the  midst  of  a 
landscape  artistically  devised  by  the  planting  of  trees  and  shrubs,  and 
by  shadowy  nooks,  reached  by  curving  byways,  that  has  become  more 
beautiful  and  imposing  as  the  years  have  passed.  This  home  is  still 
occupied  by  his  daughter,  Miss  Jennie  Byrd  Bryan  when  not  visiting 
her  brother,  Colonel  Charles  Page  Bryan,  who  has  been  in  the  United 
States  diplomatic  service  for  some  years,  and  is  at  present  (September, 
1912)  Ambassador  to  Japan.  At  one  corner  of  the  estate,  but  in  close 
proximity  to  the  public  highway,  Mr.  Bryan  built  a  cosey  edifice  for 
religious  services  —  Episcopal  denomination.  It  is  known  as  Byrd's 


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Photo  by  Bemm 


KENILWORTH 
Home  of  Mr.  Geo.  R.  Chapman,  Elmhurst.  111. 


Nest  Chapel  —  Byrd  being  a  distinguished  family  name.  The  Rev. 
Chas.  Palmerston  Anderson,  now  Bishop  of  the  diocese  of  Chicago, 
served  as  rector  of  this  parish  for  eight  years  (1892-1900). 

"Lancaster  Lodge,"  the  home  of  the  Hon.  T.  E.  Wilder,  was  built 
by  Henry  W.  King,  another  of  the  notables  that  lived  in  the  old  Bing- 
ham  tavern  after  it  was  rejuvenated,  and  while  he  was  awaiting 
occupancy  of  the  projected  home.  "Lancaster  Lodge"  is  today,  a 
marvel  of  scenic  beauty.  Its  formal  garden  (see  cover  page)  enclosed 
by  the  most  symmetrical  of  hedges,  preserves  a  well-balanced  harmony 
of  form  and  color.  Adjoining,  is  an  old  fashioned  or  "grandmother's" 
garden,  in  which  nourish  the  herbs  and  blossoms  associated  with 
bygone  years  antedating  the  period  of  gigantic  blooms  grown  for 
exhibition  purposes  and  to  catch  a  prize.  Oh,  how  fragrant  are  its 
byways!  Reminding  one  of  an  old  cedar  chest,  with  its  lid  just  lifted 
emitting  not  only  its  own  aroma,  but  that  of  lavender  and  other  sweet 
scents  that  had  been  folded  in  between  the  quaintly  fashioned  ward- 
robe of  "my  lady"  of  long,  long  ago.  A  park-like  vista  of  lawn,  shrub 
and  trees,  greet  the  eye  from  the  roomy  screened  porches  which  extend 
around  three  sides  of  this  charming  home  —  one  side  being  embowered 
by  a  grand  maple-growth. 

The  old  Indian  trail  from  Chicago  to  St.  Charles,  being  transformed 
into  a  highway  over  which  the  stages  ran  with  some  degree  of  regularity 
before  the  railway  came  into  being,  takes  its  picturesque  way  through 


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HOME  OF  MR.  GUSTAV  SWENSON 
Elmhurst,  111. 


Photo  by  Bemtn 


GARDEN  AND  GREENHOUSES 
Home  of  Mr.  Gustav  Swenson,  Elmhurst,  111. 


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WESTERN    SUBURBS 


COTTAGE  HILL  AVE.,  ELMHURST,  ILL. 


Elmhurst.  Adjacent  to  this  highway  was  Bingham's  tavern  which 
performed  good  service  as  an  hostelry  for  many  years.  Then  it  was 
purchased  and  moved  to  a  more  favorable  site  for  a  home,  its  original 
architecture  changed  to  suit  its  immediate  needs.  Mr.  Bryan,  while 
homebuilding,  domiciled  his  family  here.  Later,  it  became  the  country 
home  of  the  distinguished  portrait  painter,  George  P.  A.  Healy,  who 
moved  here  with  his  family  in  1857. 

"We  were  still  settled  at  Cottage  Hill,  now  Elmhurst,"  writes  Mr. 
Healy  in  his  interesting  'Reminiscences  of  a  Portrait  Painter,'  "the 
elder  children  at  school,  the  younger  ones  running  wild  like  young  colts 
— when  the  war  broke  out."  And  again,  "Among  the  most  successful 
portraits  I  painted  at  this  time  I  can  mention  that  of  Mrs.  Thomas 
B.  Bryan,  whose  hospitable  home  was  always  open  to  me  and  mine. 
Mr.  Bryan  and  I  agreed  on  many  points,  but  the  greatest  bond  of  sym- 
pathy perhaps  was  our  admiration  for  our  respective  wives  —  for  each 
other's  wives,  too."  Hanging  in  the  Bryan  home  is  this  charming 
portrait  of  a  beautiful  and  refined  woman,  and  here,  even  in  the  early 
days  of  settlement,  were  found  art  treasures  from  many  lands. 

Entering  Elmhurst  by  way  of  the  Aurora,  Elgin  and  Chicago 
electric  railroad,  and  walking  northward  but  a  few  steps,  one  finds 
themselves  in  a  veritable  land  of  enchantment  with  color  and  fragrance. 
Here  are  the  extensive  nurseries  of  Gustav  Swenson.  Mr.  Swenson 
has  installed  an  overhead  system  of  irrigation,  by  which  the  plants 
enjoy  a  summer  shower  at  the  will  of  the  owner.  If  old  Aptakisic  or 
Waubunsie  could  only  appear !  It  would  be  defined  in  Indian  language 
as  "Great  Medicine!"  The  asters  revel  in  this  locality,  shading  from 
white  to  grey  and  then  taking  on  the  hue  of  lavender  until  they  become 
truly  royal  of  aspect  in  richest  purple.  In  one  particular  highway  is 


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preserved  the  former  name  of  Elmhurst.  This  is  as  it  should  be. 
Traditions  should  be  preserved,  but  we  are  too  apt  to  destroy  and 
ignore. 

Elmhurst  early  enjoyed  educational  privileges,  the  college  being 
established  in  1869.  There  are  good  public  schools;  a  grammar  and 
high  school,  churches,  and  social  organizations,  including  a  golf  club. 

The  suggestion  for  municipal  water  supply  came  in  a  most  remark- 
able and  unexpected  manner  to  Elmhurst.  It  was  in  the  Spring  of 
1861,  when  for  many  miles,  the  residents  were  startled  by  a  loud 
explosion.  It  was  discovered  in  one  particular  place  —  in  the  immed- 
iate vicinity  of  the  ground  now  occupied  by  the  waterworks,  that  a  won- 
derful stream  of  water  had  burst  from  the  earth.  It  was  clear,  sparkling, 
cool  and  after  scientific  examination,  pronounced  absolutely  pure. 
After  being  assured  that  it  had  projected  itself  in  their  midst  with 
a  firm  resolve  to  remain,  it  was  harnessed  for  the  promulgation  of  the 
health  and  sanitary  betterment  of  the  village.  Today,  Elmhurst  has 
more  good  water  at  her  command  than  she  can  adequately  use. 


A  LOMBARD  PIONEER  IN  HIS  CORN  PATCH 


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RIVER  FOREST  AND  MAYWOOD 
New  Bridge  across  the  Desplaines  on  Lake  St. 


MAYWOOD 


"  Or  sheltered  lawn,  where,  'mid  encircling  trees, 
May's  warmest  sunshine  lies." 


MORE  and  more  level  becomes  the  country  traveling  eastward 
from  Elmhurst.  Entering  the  township  of  Proviso,  the  Des 
Plaines  flowing  southward  and  Salt  Creek,  northeast  and  then 
southeast,  with  their  beautifully  wooded  banks,  were  the  attractions 
to  this  part  of  the  prairie  in  the  early  days  of  settlement.  Tradition 
tells  of  the  fine  elms,  with  a  girth  of  five  feet  or  more  and  of  the  stone 
waiting  to  be  quarried.  Then  appeared  a  log  cabin  among  the  trees, 
and  he  who  put  it  there  designated  his  place  as  "Bennitt's  Grove;" 
another  log  cabin  and  a  wild  cat  haunting  the  timber,  led  to  a  claim 
being  designated  "Cat  Grove."  Bennitt's  claim  seems  to  have  been 
lost  in  the  shuffle,  but  the  owner  of  "Cat  Grove"  Thomas  R.  Colville 
was  a  real  pioneer  of  this  township.  Mr.  Colville  had  been  in  the 
State  of  Illinois  since  1819  and  had  settled  at  Plainfield  about  1830. 
He  is  found  as  Captain  of  Volunteers  at  Fort  Dearborn  in  1832,  and  in 
1834  had  established  himself,  near  to  what  is  now  a  part  of  Maywood. 
This  township  was  organized  under  the  name  of  "Taylor,"  but  very 
soon  afterward  it  was  re-christened  "Proviso."  This  latter  name 


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HIGHWAYS      AND      BYWAYS  —  PAST      AND      PRESENT 

involves  in  its  title,  memories  of  one  of  the  critical  periods  in  American 
history  —  the  early  days  of  anti-slavery  agitation.  Congressman 
Wilmot  of  Pennsylvania  insistently  maintained  that  if  land  were 
to  be  acquired  in  the  new  western  territory,  that  a  "proviso"  whereby 
slavery  might  never  be  permitted  in  the  territory  should  be  enforced. 
The  "proviso"  failed  to  carry,  but  the  settlers  in  this  small  section  of 
the  Illinois  country,  perpetuated  the  memory  of  its  principles,  when, 
acting  upon  the  suggestion  of  "Long"  John  Wentworth,  they  adopted 
the  name  of  "Proviso"  as  title  for  their  township. 

The  township  commissioners  devised  public  highways  and  in  the 
Spring  of  1851,  a  resolution  was  passed  that  five  mills  in  the  dollar 
be  raised  for  the  purpose  of  building  a  bridge  across  the  Des  Plaines, 
"where  the  Chicago  and  Grand  De  Tour  State  Road  crosses  said 
river."  It  was  carried  by  a  majority  vote  of  five,  there  being  a  total 
of  twenty-four  votes  polled.  Then  the  commissioners  were  authorized 
to  negotiate  a  loan  of  not  over  six  hundred  dollars  and  at  any  interest 
not  to  exceed  twelve  and  a  half  per  cent  for  the  purpose  of  building 
this  bridge  and  that  the  debt  so  incurred  should  be  liquidated  by  the 
payment  of  five  mills  on  each  dollar  of  taxation. 

In  the  early  summer  of  1868,  the  real  history  of  Maywood  had  its 
inception.  Colonel  W.  T.  Nichols  of  Rutland,  Vt.,  contracted  for 
the  purchase  of  one  and  three  quarter  miles  of  land  from  north  to  south 
and  one  mile  from  east  to  west. 

He  organized  a  stock  company  with  a  capital  of  $75,000,  and  in 
April,  1869  obtained  a  special  charter  from  the  Illinois  legislature. 
Streets  were  laid  out,  trees  planted  and  a  tract  of  about  two  blocks  in 
width  reserved  for  park  purposes.  A  two  story  brick  structure,  in 
Gothic  style  of  architecture,  the  first  floor  designed  for  school  pur- 
poses and  the  upper  story  finished  for  religious  services,  was  erected 
at  a  cost  of  five  thousand  dollars.  In  January,  1871,  the  upper  part 
was  dedicated  as  a  union  church,  open  to  all  denominations.  In  the 
Spring  of  the  same  year,  the  school  was  opened  and  sustained  by 
private  subscription,  Miss  Ida  Barnes  being  its  first  teacher. 

A  unique  feature  of  this  pioneer  land  company  was  to  set  aside 
four  blocks  of  land,  one  of  each  was  to  be  donated  to  any  religious 
denomination  that  would  erect  a  church.  The  Congregationalists  and 
Methodists  were  the  first  to  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity. 
The  Chicago  &  Northwestern  company  had  built  its  depot  in  1870. 

The  village  was  incorporated  as  Maywood,  Oct.  22,  1811,  the  name 
being  derived  from  the  fact  that  its  chief  promoter  had  a  loved  daugh- 
ter named  "May,"  and  "wood"  being  added  to  emphasize  the  fact 
that  this  section  had  an  original  growth  of  timber.  The  Proviso  Land 
Company  was  one  of  a  very  few  corporations  chartered  by  the  State 
to  deal  in  lands  and  the  company  is  still  in  existence. 

Maywood  of  today  has  miles  of  finely  paved  streets  with  a  tree 
growth  that  is  the  outcome  of  the  work  performed  by  the  pioneer 
homebuilders. 

The  village  is  easily  and  quickly  reached  via  the  Aurora,  Elgin 
&  Chicago  R.  R.  from  its  Fifth  Avenue  Terminal,  Chicago. 


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63    B 

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Wm.  Drumtnond,  Archt. 


HOME  OF  MR.  WILLIAM  DRUMMOND 
288  Oak  Avenue,  River  Forest,  111. 


RIVER  FOREST  AND  OAK  PARK 


DAVID  C.  THATCHER  who  had  been  engaged  in  mercantile 
pursuits  in  Chicago,  since  1838,  retired  to  what  had  been  known 
as  "Des  Plaines  River"  station,  in  1858.     Mr.  Thatcher  had 
previously  purchased  land  in  1856,  building  quite  a  pretentious  home 
thereon,  and  in  1863,  the  depot  name  was  changed  to  Thatcher  in 
honor  of  this  pioneer  homebuilder. 

The  name  River  Forest  seems  to  have  been  suggested  in  1872, 
by  the  forest-like  appearance  of  the  land  bordering  the  river,  but  the 
sponsor  for  this  peculiarly  attractive  title  has  not  been  recorded. 
During  the  summer  of  1860,  a  Sunday  school  was  organized,  Miss 
Francis  E.  Willard  and  Miss  Clara  E.  Thatcher  being  its  first  teachers 
in  the  "little  red  schoolhouse"  which  also  served  as  public  school. 

For  some  time,  Miss  Thatcher  continued  in  this  mission  work 
alone,  and  then  O.  A.  Willard,  a  young  Biblical  student  was  engaged 
to  teach  public  school  during  the  winter  months,  and  he  interested 
other  students  in  carrying  on  the  mission  work.  In  the  meantime 
a  new  brick  school  house  was  built  and  the  mission  secured  the  use  of 
its  lecture  room.  But  the  cause  declined,  and  the  Episcopal  denomi- 


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HIGHWAYS      AND      BYWAYS  —  PAST      AND      PRESENT 


LIVING  ROOM 
Home  of  Mr.  William  Drummond,  River  Forest,  111. 


nation  occupied  the  building.  Then  the  Methodists  united  with  the 
Episcopalians  in  putting  up  a  church  edifice.  In  1873,  the  Thatcher 
family  built  a  Methodist  church  at  a  cost  of  $10,000. 

River  Forest  has  ever  presented  the  aspect  of  a  purely  residence 
village.  Today  there  are  some  delightfully  modern  homes,  very 
artistic  of  design,  and  showing  the  modern  trend  toward  simplicity 
in  architectural  structure,  the  grand  old  trees  adding  picturesque 
effects  that  are  truly  beautiful. 

The  new  bridge  across  the  Des  Plaines  is  of  historic  interest,  since 
it  spans  the  river,  where  in  the  early  thirties,  the  settlers  of  Milton 
and  York  townships,  urged  the  building  of  a  bridge  in  order  that  the 
farmers  might  carry  their  products  to  Chicago.  Tradition  says  that 
this  first  bridge,  which  was  superseded  by  one  of  later  date,  was  built 
by  the  combined  efforts  of  the  settlers  in  the  townships  named.  The 
fine  structure  now  spanning  the  stream  is  of  quite  recent  date.  When 
one  considers  that  this  bridge  forms  a  continuance  of  Lake  Street 
to  and  from  Chicago,  it  is  very  readily  understood  that  this  was  a 
highway  of  importance.  The  electric  cars  now  have  right  of  way 
over  this  old  wagon  road  of  the  past. 

Oak  Park  is  in  the  township  of  Cicero.  Here  in  1833,  came  Joseph 
Kettlestrings  with  his  wife  and  family.  He  was  an  Englishman  to 
whom  the  West  presented  attractions  drawing  him  from  comfort  to 
hardship.  Mr.  Kettlestrings  has  left  on  record  the  fact  that  the  site 
upon  which  Oak  Park  now  stands,  was  the  only  piece  of  dry  land  he 


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HIGHWAYS      AND      BYWAYS  —  PAST      AND       PRESENT 

found  after  leaving  Chicago.  Sanguine  as  to  its  possibilities,  he  stopped 
long  enough  to  stake  his  claim  and  then  journeyed  about  one  mile 
westward,  in  quest  of  another  Englishman  who  had  staked  his  claim 
on  the  Des  Plaines,  in  1831. 

He  found  his  friend  George  Bickerdike  in  partnership  with  Mark 
Noble  (senior)  running  a  saw  mill.  Mr.  Kettlestrings  lived  in  a  log 
cabin,  near  the  mill,  until  1835,  when  he  erected  a  farm  house  on  his 
claim  —  the  first  house  in  Oak  Park.  As  in  beginnings  of  like  kind, 
he  kept  a  tavern  or  inn,  and  many  a  weary-worn  traveler  on  his  way 
westward,  was  glad  to  rest  there  a  night.  This  house  was  built  in  the 
midst  of  a  fine  oak  growth,  and,  it  became  known  as  "Kettlestrings' 
Grove"  although  he  himself  had  named  it  in  English  fashion  "Oak 
Ridge."  And  in  1859,  the  village  itself  —  for  many  settlers  had  been 
drawn  to  this  spot  —  was  known  as  "Oak  Ridge."  This  same  year, 
however,  its  railroad  station  was  known  as  "Harlem"  and  its  post 
office  as  "Noyesville!"  This  mix-up  of  names  soon  caused  no  end  of 
inconvenience,  as  there  was  another  "Oak  Ridge"  in  Illinois,  as  well 
as  a  post  office  designated  "Harlem!"  .The  villagers,  upon  hearing 
there  was  a  movement  on  foot,  to  change  the  name  to  "East  Harlem," 
were  up  in  arms,  and  in  less  than  a  month,  Congressman  Chas.  B. 
Farwell  had  succeeded  to  their  satisfaction  in  having  the  name  changed 
to  Oak  Park. 

Oak  Park  of  today,  with  a  population  of  25,000,  retains  its  village 
organization.  Its  municipal  building,  its  schools,  library  and  churches 
are  imposing  structures.  It  is  essentially  a  community  of  homes, 
many  of  them  above  the  average  from  an  architectural  viewpoint. 
A.  M.  Cummings,  who,  as  a  subdivider  has  done  much  toward  the 
growth  of  many  of  the  Western  Suburbs,  has  his  home  in  this  village. 

Both  River  Forest  and  Oak  Park  have  excellent  transportation 
facilities. 


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Photo  by  Bemm 


NORWOOD 
Home  of  Mr.  Geo.  H.  Norton,  7030  Berkley  Ave.,  Berwyn,  111. 


AUSTIN  AND  BERWYN 


AFSTIN  was  founded  by  Henry  W.  Austin  in  1866.    Mr.  Austin 
was  also  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Oak  Park.     He  belonged 
to  good  old  pioneer  stock,  his  grandfather  having  settled  in  the 
county  of  Onondaga,  N.  Y.  in  1792,  facing  the  wilderness  and  resolv- 
ing to  conquer.    It  was  Mr.  Austin  that,  quietly  but  effectively  cleaned 
out  the  saloon  element  in  Oak  Park.     He  bought  the  property  upon 
which  the  saloons  existed,  and  then  induced  the  township  to  main- 
tain a  prohibition  district. 

Five  acres  of  land  were  donated  by  this  most  generous  pioneer  of 
town  sites,  for  establishing  a  park-like  environment  to  the  Cicero 
Town  Hall  and  he  improved  this  land  until  it  became  a  beauty  spot 
in  the  village.  The  land  upon  which  Austin  grew  had  been  originally 
owned  by  Henry  L.  De  Koven,  who  bought  it  from  the  government 
in  1835  —  some  280  acres  in  all. 

Austin  is  now  a  part  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  but  its  citizens  never 
lose  sight  of  the  fact,  that  as  a  home  town  it  must  still  thrive  and 
grow,  and  they  take  pride  in  its  development,  with  the  result,  that 
fine  business  houses  are  maintained  here.  Beautiful  shops  are 


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HIGHWAYS      AND      BYWAYS  —  PAST      AND       PRESENT 


Photo  by  Berotn 


NORWOOD 
Home  of  Mr.  Geo.  H.  Norton,  7030  Berkley  Ave.,  Berwyn,  111. 


grouped  near  the  parkway  and  a  large  percentage  of.  the  population 
favor  the  home  stores. 

The  Austin  State  Bank  was  organized  in  1891.  In  1895  it  moved 
into  more  commodious  quarters.  It  still  grew  and  today,  a  new  struc- 
ture with  a  frontage  on  South  Boulevard  of  fifty-five  feet,  and  with 
a  depth  on  Park  Avenue  of  one  hundred  and  ten  feet  has  been  erected. 
It  is  of  granite  and  Bedford  stone  and  its  architectural  effect  is  won- 
derfully imposing,  its  facade  being  distinguished  by  four  supporting 
Ionic  columns.  The  interior  is  of  marble  with  fixtures  of  bronze  and 
with  every  up-to-date  convenience  for  patrons,  including  a  room  for 
ladies  and  a  safety  deposit  department.  The  directors  are:  Percy 
V.  Castle,  Taylor  A.  Snow,  Axel  A.  Strom,  Perley  D.  Castle,  Frederick 
R.  Schock,  Joseph  J.  Walsh,  Jr.,  Michael  L.  Collins,  Geo.  F.  Hulse- 
berg,  Carl  Bloomberg,  with  Charles  S.  Castle  as  president. 

The  author  of  this  work  also  delights  in  the  fact  that  Austin  has 
produced  one  of  America's  best  marine  painters.  Charles  Edward 
Hallberg  has  lived  here  for  many  years  and  worked  out  his  own  salva- 
tion under  difficulties.  Some  years  ago,  it  was  the  writer's  privilege 
to  visit  Mr.  Hallberg  in  his  own  little  home,  in  which  his  studio  is 
located.  Feeling  there  was  a  future  before  him  she  did  her  best  to 
encourage  him,  and  was  gratified  to  learn  that  Austin  was  not  alto- 
gether unappreciative  of  the  genius  that  was  struggling  for  expression 


Page  hundred  eighty-one 


BOOK    OF    THE    WESTERN    SUBURBS 

in  its  midst.  Today,  Austinites  must  be  proud  of  the  fact  that  Mr.  Hall- 
berg,  who  has  now  attained  international  fame  in  his  particular  delinea- 
tions of  Lake  Michigan,  whether  in  calm  or  in  storm,  or  in  more 
coquettish  mood  by  moonlight,  still  prefers  to  be  known  as  a  home- 
maker  in  Austin. 

On  the  way  to  Riverside,  the  pretty  suburb  of  Berwyn  is  reached. 
It  is  of  very  modern  aspect,  being  incorporated  as  a  village  in  1890. 
Its  site  is  of  more  or  less  historic  import  as  it  will  ever  be  associated 
with  days  when  the  Portage  route  was  the  only  available  highway  to 
the  Des  Plaines.  In  this  vicinity  was  the  famous  Mud  Lake,  which 
has  been  absorbed,  practically,  by  the  Drainage  Canal.  Its  remain- 
ing marsh,  however,  still  affords  attraction  for  the  hunter  of  wild 
ducks.  The  pretty  title  of  Berwyn  was  bestowed  by  Mr.  P.  S.  Eustis, 
passenger  traffic  manager  of  the  C.  B.  &  Q.  R.  R.,  who  named  it  in 
memory  of  a  suburb  of  Philadelphia,  in  which  city  Mr.  Eustis  "grew 
up."  He  always  thought  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  station  names 
were  good  and  he  made  this  happy  selection,  which  is  euphonious  and 
inviting.  The  Berwyn  Club,  the  centre  of  the  social  life  of  the  village, 
has  recently  opened  its  handsome  new  club  house,  which  cost  about 
$30,000. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


Jesuit  Relations,  Thwaites 

Discovery  and  Exploration  Mississippi,  Shea 

Early  Voyages,  Shea 

Chapters  from  Illinois  History,  Mason 

History  Mississippi  Valley,  Monette 

Travels  Mississippi  Valley,  Schoolcraft 

History  Du  Page  County,  Richmond 

History  Du  Page  County,  Blanchard 

History  Cook  County,  Andreas 

Autobiography,  Blodgett 

Autobiography.  Hubbard 

Waubun,  Kinzie 

Magazines  and  Newspaper  Files,  Old  Maps,  Charts,  etc. 

The  Author  desires  to  express  appreciation  of  the  helpful  courtesy  shown  by  the  Historical 
Department  of  the  Newberry  Library,  Chicago;  also  for  the  kindly  and  hospitable  spirit  evinced  by 
the  descendants  of  the  families  of  the  early  settlers.  Special  thanks  are  also  due  to  Miss  Marjorie 
McCurdy,  Hinsdale,  to  Miss  Olive  Leitch  of  La  Grange,  as  well  as  to  Mrs.  C.  A.  Wesencraft  of  River- 
side for  aid  in  covering  distances. 


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CONTENTS 


HIGHWAYS  AND  BYWAYS— PAST  AND  PRESENT 

PAGE 

The  Historic  Highway— "Riviere  du  Portage „ 7 

The  Desplaines — "Riviere  Divinel" 21 

Yesterday  and  To-day 25 

The  Grand  Prairie — Its  Yesterday  and  To-day 31 


INDEX— HOMES  AND  GARDENS,  184 

TRADITIONS  OF  THE  WESTERN  SUBURBS 

Austin  and  Berwyn,  180;  Brookfield,  Congress  Park,  Hollywood,  89;  Downers  Grove,  101; 
Elmhurst,  161;  Glen  Ellyn,  149;  Hinsdale,  97;  La  Grange,  92;  Lombard,  158;  Maywood,  170; 
Naperville,  109;  Riverside,  83;  River  Forest  and  Oak  Park,  174;  Wheaton,  139;  Western 
Springs.  96. 

ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

Austin  State  Bank 178 

Aurora  &  Elgin  Station,  Wheaton 147 

Brookfield— Boys   Paradise 33 

"  Kindergarten 32 

Outdoor  Class 88 

"  Ricker's  Addition 40 

Salt  Creek 87,89,90 

State  Bank 34 

Downers  Grove  Station. 101 

"  "       View  from  Belmont 107 

Elmhurst — Byrd's  Nest  Chapel 161 

Cottage  Hill  Ave 168 

Glen  Ellyn — Lake  Ellyn 150 

Road  by  Lake 155 

Hinsdale — Club  House 97 

Garage 82 

Lilly  Pool 99 

Old  Mill,  Fullersburg 98 

Homes  and  Gardens 184 


PAGE 

La  Grange— Country  Club 91 

"  State  Bank 41 

Thornton  Villa 61 

Lombard  Pioneer  in  Corn  Patch 169 

Naperville — Du  Page  River 122 

"  Stone  Bridge 108 

Riverside — Des  Plaines  River 2,  14,  21 

«  Park 15 

«  Waterworks 7 

River  Forest — Lake  St.  Bridge 170 

Western  Springs  Club 67 

"  "       Salt  Creek 100 

"  •       Water  Tower 96 

Wheaton  College 138,  140,  142,  144 

Chicago  Golf  Club 143,  145 

Oldest  House 146 

Three  Elms 139 

York  Center— Old  Dutch  Mill 156 


Page  hundred  eighty-three 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


HOMES  AND  GARDENS 


PAGE 

Abbott,  Frank  D 149 

Abram,  Danford  J 157 

Albert,  C.  J 164 

Ames,  Knowlton  L 136,  137 

Andrews,  A.  H 158,  159 

Bassford,  L.  C 44 

Bauer,  John  C .. 116,  117 

Beach,  Chandler  B 20 

Beeson,  F.  C 179 

Bell.  James  W 38 

Bennett,  I.  A 54 

Bennett,  Wm.  Arthur 24 

Bentley,  C.  S 48 

Berryman,  John  B 104 

Blanchard,  Chas.  A.,  D.D 132 

Braffette,  C.  F 60 

Breckinridge,  Richard 10 

Brinton,  C.  H 36 

Buckley,  Homer  J 62 

Bushnell,  Oliver  J 69 

Cameron,  John  M 13 

Campbell,  R.  W 135 

Chapman,  Geo.  R 166 

Cumming.  J.  H 49 

De  Marras,  Chalderec  L 93 

Drummond,  William 174,  175 

Dugan,  A.  G 74 

Elliott,  L.  G 42 

Evans,  Peter  L 50 

Ewell,  Fred  Dana 133 

Faher,  Edwin  C 123 

Fetzer,  Wade 78 

Fisher,  George  M 80 

Fletcher,  Robert  C 62 

Floyd,  E.  D 92 

Freeman,  Jay  C 173 

Fulkerson,  Monroe 94 

Gardner.  Fred 59 

Gillespie,  J.  D 105 

Goodwin,  John  S 110.  Ill 

Gorham,  Sidney  S 63 

Graham,  E.  B 37 

Griesbach,  Mrs.  Louise 55-57 

Hellyer,  Walter 12 

Bench,  Dr.  John  B 79 

Henneberry,  Wm.  P 127 

Henry,  Albert  A 64 

Herr,  E.  G 81 

Herring,  W.  J 102 

Holloway.  C.  W 134 

Iverson.  Chester  L 6.  46 

Jordan,  Robert  Leicester 22 

Keith.  A.  E .' 73 


PAGE 

Kendall,  Prof.  F.  A 118 

Kennedy,  Mrs.  Rose  Fisher 151-153 

Knight,  W.  H 80 

Knisely,  Harry  C 75 

Kroehler.  Mrs.  Josephine 114 

Langhorst.  Henry  F.,  M.D 165 

Leitch,  Miss  Rebecca 95 

Lendrum,  George  A 39 

Marthens,  Chester  N 43 

McCurdy,  Geo.  L 76.  77 

McGregor,  P.  D 47 

Miller,  Ezra  E 109 

Mitchell.  Abraham 8 

Mitchell.  Edward  G 120 

Morgan,  Geo.  W 68 

Moulton,  C.  Lewis 154 

Nelson.  Nicholas  J 128,  129 

Norton.  Geo.  H 180,  181 

O'Brien,  Harry  J 52 

Peters.  Alfred  E 65 

Pick,  Emil  E 37 

Plamondon.  George 124-126 

Pope,  William  A 176 

Randall.  Mrs.  Charles  E 130 

Raschke,  E.  H.,  M.D 53 

Richardson,  Mrs.  Julia  M 16-19 

Rogerson,  E.  J 63 

Root,  Charles  G 70-72 

Sands.  Henry 45 

Schmidt,  R.  O 69 

Schneider.  Conrad 36 

Schryver,  H.  A 141 

Schultz,  F.  C 35 

Sebree,  J.  K 106 

Secor,  Edward  T.,  M.D 61 

Sherman,  Mason  H 64 

Sigmund ,  John 112 

Smith,  John  C.,  Jr 26 

Stevens,  Charles  G 31 

Stacker,  Horace  A 66 

Swenson,  Gustav 167 

Tomlinson,  Herbert  O 131 

Vaughan,  Leonard  H 65 

Wagenknight,  A.  R 58 

Webb,  Lew  H 160 

Wesencraft,  Jane  Churchill 85 

Whitman,  Wm.  F 27-30 

Wilder,  T.  E 162,  163 

And  Front  Cover 

Windsor,  John  E 51 

Winslow,  W.  H 172 

Woodcock,  Robert  L 68 


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